The Amber Mystery
by Diane Clifford
Summary: 13yrs after Bonnie took the toys in. Woody & Dolly meet a new leader, Rochelle finds her dream, Buzz & Jessie continue to explore their relationship. *Recommended: Read my fic 'Dancing Princess' before delving in here* COMPLETE! Please read and review!
1. Petulance & Panic

**Note**: _This fiction is set thirteen years after the toys arrived at Bonnie's._

_The character Rochelle is gleaned from my fic **'Dancing Princess' **(written for 8 years after the toys arrived at Bonnie's, for timeline's sake)**,** and if you haven't read it yet, you really should. It will help you background her more easily._

_I also have other new toys, who I will introduce later on, but for now, I don't want to raise any spoilers. Enjoy._

**

* * *

Chapter One – Petulance & Panic **

"I don't care Mom! I'm going and you can't stop me!"

The door to the playroom swung open and then banged shut loudly as seventeen year old Bonnie flung herself onto her bed. She picked up her makeup bag from her nightstand and rummaged in it, drawing out a tube of mascara, and wiping the half formed tears from her eyes, began to deftly apply it. She pulled out her lipstick and applied that vigorously, then walked across to the closet to hunt for suitable clothes, and dressed for the party that night. When she was finished and looking glam, she used the drainpipe to get down to the ground of the garden below. When she was gone, Woody was the first to move.

He nudged Buzz beside him on the shelf. "All clear, spaceranger."

Buzz shifted besides him, rubbing his aching neck muscles. "I'll be right with you, Woody," he muttered, rolling his arm back in his socket. His neck had been aching for some time – Bonnie had been grounded that weekend, but she hadn't played with any of her toys as had been usual for the last six years. Hence a very long weekend just sitting on the shelf where she kept them.

As Woody hopped down to stretch his legs, Buzz shifted in position again and as he did so someone covered his eyes from behind.

"Guess who?" This 'someone' giggled in his ear.

"Hrm." Buzz pretended to think for a long time. "I...guess...I...don't know," he finished quickly.

"You could at least guess," came the pouty drawl he had recognised only too well in the first place.

"Hmmm." Buzz went back to pretending to think, and heard the sigh behind him. Quick a wink he turned, catching the other toy off guard, and tackling her to the floor. He looked down at Jessie with a grin. "Hi."

"Hi," she responded, the wind knocked out of her for a moment. "Since when did you get faster at tackling me?"

"Since you started getting less enthusiastic about the playroom." He said softly, and Jessie knew it was true. Since Bonnie had started maturing into a young woman, she had noticed the same patterns in her responses as Emily, except that Bonnie did far more yelling and sneaking out of the house these days than Emily would ever have considered. She had given up on her toys six years ago, but not gotten rid of any of them that were important to her. However, it was with heavy hearts that Buzz, Jessie and the other toys had bid farewell to some of their friends over the years - various fates befalling them.

In Hamm's case, literally. He had been the victim of one of Bonnie's rages and had ended up smashed on the floor when she really lost her temper.

Rex and Trixie remained intact, but they now lived in her little brother's room. Max was three years old now, and he loved dinosaurs, as most other little boys his age do. Rex, by all accounts, was over the moon to have another new owner, but also to be with Trixie. Max also took over the care of the three headed aliens, who ooh-ed and aah-ed at playtime with their new owner frequently.

Mr and Mrs Potato Head had been donated to a friend of Bonnie's mother's. She was a teacher at the local school, and the Potato Heads were to be found in the science lab, helping to teach the children about the human body. With their detachable body parts, the children found that the Potato Heads made learning science fun. Mrs Potato Head never lost faith in the fact that they would be together forever, and never outgrown.

Chuckles had been sold at a yard sale a few years ago, and he had gone to an owner who collected clown figurines. He sent a note via pigeon, who hopped onto the windowsill of Bonnie's room one day.

That left the remaining toys in the playroom down to a total of nine - Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Buttercup, Bullseye, Dolly, Slinky, Rochelle and Mr Pricklepants. They slept on the shelves together these days, amongst other trinkets Bonnie had decided to shelve, and the various textbooks from her high school days.

"I just find it hard knowing that one day something's going to happen. Something bad." Jessie placed her hand on Buzz's shoulder and he pulled her close.

"Nothing's going to happen Jess. And if it did, we couldn't prevent it."

"See? That is what I mean, Buzz." Jessie said firmly, then her voice dropped. "I don't wanna go to another home. I wanna stay here," Jessie sounded flippant but scared, and he tried to reassure her.

"How about we talk about something happier?"

"Like what?"

"Like how good it might be elsewhere? We might get played with again."

Jessie sniffed a little. "You really think that could happen? We won't just be abandoned on the shelf forever? It's been thirteen years since Andy left."

"No, Jess. We'll be out of here before long," Buzz reassured her, and she put her arms around him.

"If you ever leave, I want to go with you."

"Jessie, we have no control over that." Buzz said softly, and she pulled away.

"So if I left, would you want to follow me?"

"You know I would." Buzz said softly.

"Then you understand what I mean," she said sadly.

Buzz was aware they were going backwards instead of forwards with the conversation and didn't respond for a little while. When he did all that he could think of to say was, "It'll be fine, Jessie. Just trust me."

"I think after twenty four years living in the same rooms together, it's the least I can do." She conceded, climbing into his lap.

"Twenty four?" he asked, as she settled herself comfortably.

"Yeah. 13 years with Bonnie and we were with Andy 11 years before that. I still remember the day you complimented me on my hair," she giggled, and he gave her a wry smile.

"So all the gifts I got you for Valentine's Day the last thirteen years, they don't register in your memory, but your first meeting with me does?"

"Yep," she laughed. "What's your first memory of me?"

"You skating on that little truck around the racetrack – doing the loop," he smiled fondly at her. "I knew there was something special about you even back then."

She blushed and wriggled in his lap, giving him a kiss. "And –_I-_ was right even back then. You really are a sweet space toy, and I couldn't imagine life without you." Her eyes saddened. "I think I might just break myself if you left," she added, as he pulled her to him, her head finding the right spot on his shoulder.

"Shh, Jessie. It's ok, I'm here," he soothed her gently.


	2. Thrown Out

**Chapter Two – Thrown Out**

They didn't hear Bonnie come back that night, but in the early hours of the morning the toys heard the thumping on the stairs, the shouting, and then the silence. This was usual, if Bonnie was to sneak out. Her mother would often be awake when she got in again, and then the rows would ensue. Tonight Bonnie stomped straight into the room as usual, but in an unexpected twist the toys heard a second pair of footsteps stomping their way tonight.

"Bonnie Marie Anderson! Don't you ever walk away from me when I am speaking to you!" came Bonnie's mothers voice down the hallway as she too, stormed into the room.

"Oh Mom, give over. I went out to party. I had like four drinks."

"You're underage!"

"So? I wasn't the only one drinking."

"I don't care. I don't want you drinking at all while you're under my roof."

"Uh, I wasn't under YOUR roof, Mom, I was at Sally's!"

"I don't care where you were, while you live under this roof, you do as I tell you!"

"Oh my gosh, Mom, please, it's not like I do drugs or even have unprotected sex. I had like a couple of drinks to take the edge off this boring excuse for a life! I haven't done anything since high school that meant anything."

"Well maybe if you stopped partying –"

"Mom, I want to party! I want to live my life. I don't want to end up a bitter old hag with a mortgage and a husband like you did!" Bonnie shouted.

"Right, that's it." Bonnie's mother suddenly flung up her hands and snapped. "I've had enough of your remarks, young lady. I want you to pack your things; tomorrow whatever you don't take with you, I'm throwing it out."

"What?" Bonnie was shell-shocked.

"You walk around this house like you own the place, well unfortunately for you, this bitter old hag helps your father pay the bills and supported you all through high school, even when you didn't get very good grades and were close to not even seeing your own graduation. And now I'm putting my foot down. If you want to stay out late, party, and drink, you do that. But I wash my hands of you as from tonight. In the morning, I want you out."

"Mom!" Bonnie shouted, her eyes desperate. But her mother was unrelenting, and as she left the room, Bonnie flung herself on her bed in tears.

On the shelf, Jessie nudged Buzz. "I told you something bad was going to happen." She whispered sadly.

* * *

In the morning, Bonnie awoke, still dressed from the night before. Her eyes were red and blotchy from her crying, and as she eased herself upright, she grimaced, taking out her earrings.

"Great, Mom. Way to put your foot down," she muttered, as she paced across to her closet and pulled out a small bag. The toys recognised it as the case she'd taken when she went to stay with Aunty Kathleen some months back after a similar row with her mother. Only that time, she'd come back home after a day. This time, it was quite clear she wouldn't be returning at all.

Bonnie was throwing clothes in a mish-mash fashion into the case, putting toiletries into a bag, and then picking up other random things. She packed her laptop on the desk, and on her way back over to the bed, she glanced up at the toys on the shelf.

"I don't want to throw you away," she whispered to herself, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She was remembering that summer thirteen years ago, when Andy Davies had sat in the garden with her, and played childish toy filled games with her. She didn't remember anything about her childhood being that way. That one day stood out in her memory, as rare as it was.

She looked at Woody and remembered her promise to take care of him. "I'm not going to just take care of you," she whispered again, walking across the room and touching the cowboy doll fondly.

"I'm going to take care of all of you."

* * *

"Charlene? It's Bonnie," Bonnie said into her mobile later that day. She was sitting in her car on the side of the road, boxes and bags piled in the backseat. In one of these boxes sat the nine remaining toys. Woody was peeking through a hole in the box, and watching Bonnie's movements. She had calmed down a lot since the fight, and now she was melancholy but determined. He thought about what she had said, and wondered what was in the young woman's mind.

"Yeah, where is she now? With your cousin? How come? Oh." There was a pause. "What's the address? I'll go around there now. Right. Ok. Thanks Charlene. I'll talk to you later chick. Something big going down here." Another pause. "Ok. 7.30? you're on. See you later."

Bonnie put down the phone, drummed her fingers on the steering wheel a couple of times, before putting the car back in gear, and driving off. She navigated the corners, until the car drove down Wilmington Avenue, and stopped outside number 112.


	3. To Amber's Room, and Beyond

**Chapter Three – To Amber's Room, and Beyond**

"Here, Amber." Bonnie placed the box down on the floor of Amber's room. She hesitated, looking at the box, then added, "Now, I want you to take VERY good care of these toys. Especially the cowboy doll."

"Why?" 8 year old Amber didn't understand and Bonnie explained.

"Because it's the most precious toy in the world."

"Oh." Amber fiddled with her hair.

"I mean take the most precious thing in the world to you and multiply it by a million."

"Oh!" Amber's fingers left her hair and she gazed up, jaw slack, at Bonnie.

"Yeah," Bonnie smiled. She fought the urge to open the box and cuddle all the toys to her one last time. '_That would just be creepy_,' she thought. "Now, I have to go, but you have fun, k?"

Amber walked over to the box watching Bonnie depart. She pulled at the slats of cardboard on the top of the box, revealing a mound of toys. The first toy that she saw was Jessie. She gasped and picked her up, the red hat falling loose to the floor. She bent down to pick it up before returning her rapt gaze onto the doll.

"Wow," she exclaimed, turning Jessie over, "You are a pretty special cowboy doll!" She lisped and giggled, flinging Jessie in the air and catching her. "Whee. Hoo boy, you need a name! Lemme see. What should I call you?"

She fingered Jessie's braid, walking across to her bed and setting her down besides the pillow. She rested her chin in her hands and thought. "Ooh! I know, how about Bullet Babs?" and squealed and made Jessie nod her head. "Yay, she likes it!" She left Jessie on the bed, running back over to the box. She pulled out Bullseye next. "Ooh! Babsy has a horse! We'll call you Firestorm," she decided quickly, holding Bullseye in her right hand as her left hand delved back into the box.

On discovering the next toy in the box, she pulled it out and dropped Bullseye back in. She held up Buzz in glee. "No way! A Buzz Lightyear? These guys are awesome!" She declared. As she looked at him she noticed the large red button on his right hand panel, and she pressed it, making his wings pop out. She shrieked and flew Buzz around and around for a while, before making him land on her bed. "Ooh, look Babsy, a big mean ol' space toy."

"Mr Lightyear, I presume," she made Jessie say, making her shake Buzz's hand.

"Greetings," Amber made Buzz say. "I have come to seek out a beautiful woman to romance."

"Did you find one?" Amber made Jessie giggle.

"I think I did," came Buzz's 'reply'.

"Ooh, so charming," came Jessie's giggle again.

"Darling, you are more beautiful than all the stars in the night sky!"

"Ooh, and so charismatic." Jessie swooned.

"Oh fair maiden, allow me to escort you to my spaceship."

Amber linked Buzz and Jessie's hands and jumped up, grabbing hold of her globe of the world on her desk, and making them soar through the air around it, almost as if they were space travelling together, then made them land back on the bed together.

* * *

It was only when Amber's mother called her for dinner a little later that Amber dropped her toys and darted out of the room. Blinking, Jessie hauled herself up into a sitting position, straightening her clothes. "Buzz?" She asked the space toy, who was lying across on the other side of the bed from her on his stomach.

He raised his head and leaned on his elbows looking at her. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.

"Fine. You?" Buzz raised himself up to his full height and walked over, helping her to her feet.

"A bit shaken," she admitted. "At one point I thought it was all over, and I was gonna lose you."

"Aw Jessie, what would I do without you?" Buzz whispered, taking her gently in his arms. She didn't reply, but Buzz could guess her thoughts were far away. "Jess, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. At least not with me."

"With Amber?" Buzz questioned, and Jessie nodded.

"I've never known any child to play with me that way." Buzz shifted and Jessie gave him a hard look. "Buzz?"

"I...well...I kind of...hoo. How to say this," Buzz spluttered, and she rolled her eyes.

"Spit it out, would ya," she sighed.

"Well," Buzz continued to fidget. "I kind of didn't mind it." Buzz looked awkwardly at his feet.

Jessie was shocked. "How come?"

"Well.." Buzz stammered, "I...I...kind of saw it as the natural next step." When Jessie didn't say anything he grabbed her wrists, pulling her closer. "Jessie, what I'm trying to say is...I'm falling in love with you. I've been thinking about it for a while, wondering if I should actually tell you, and nothing prompted me more than our last conversation at Bonnie's. I know it's taken me a helluva long time to say it, but I'm saying it now." He whispered affectionately, his mouth covering hers. His hands left her wrists and wrapped around her waist like so many times before, as she returned his eager kiss. She braced herself against him with her hands on his shoulders.

When they broke apart he fixed him steady gaze on her, but she looked away.

"Jessie?" He tried to catch her eye, but she steadfastly refused. He sighed. "You don't feel the same way."

"No, I do." Her eyes snapped up to meet his at long last, but it was only a few seconds before she looked away again.

Buzz looked at her, as a means of prompting her.

"And I, you," she murmured, and Buzz's heart sank.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	4. Little Lottie

**Chapter Four – Little Lottie**

_Note: The patchwork doll Charlotte (Lottie) is modelled after some dolls I saw when I was in Portugal. Photo (hosted on Photobucket, remove the spaces): ____http:/ smg. photobucket. com/ albums/ v439/ layoutsarekool/ ?action=view¤t;=lottiedolls. jpg_

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* * *

_

Meanwhile the other toys were starting to leave the box for the floor. Woody was overseeing the operation like it was the sinking of the Titanic. As the toys landed one by one they all turned to look around at their new surroundings.

In the corner behind them stood a small TV on a unit, and in the opposite corner was a dresser. Slightly apart from this on the next wall was a bookcase. And then there was the bed under the window. Slinky was the first to look at the bed, and saw Jessie and Buzz there.

"Hey guys, what's the new kid like?"

From her position on the bed Jessie turned and hesitated, but Buzz shrugged. "Hard to say," he said dismissively.

"Ah." Slinky said shortly, turned his attention elsewhere as something bumped into him. To his surprise he came face to face with a little Westie dog that yapped three times at him and then did a backwards flip.

The other toys were also being surrounded. "Ah, my adoring public," swooned Rochelle with a laugh. Bullseye and Buttercup found themselves in the midst of some frolicking My Little Ponies. There were several plush teddies, Barbies galore, and plush rabbits hopping around everywhere. Mr Pricklepants was inspecting another toy hedgehog curiously while Beanie Babies swarmed around Dolly and lifted her up, making her laugh and squeal.

Woody watched the goings on with much confusion, until he was tapped on the shoulder and he turned to see a patchwork ragdoll next to him. Her hair was the colour of corn and her eyes the brightest blue, he realised, and something inside him jolted. She was dressed very plainly in a blue and white plaid dress, white socks, big blue shoes, and she wore a cute little blue bonnet with a flower on the front of it.

"Hi." She said in a friendly manner, and Woody realised he was staring.

He recovered enough to greet her. "Hi."

"Welcome to Amber's playroom." She said, with a broad grin. "I'm Charlotte. Or Lottie, for short."

"I'm Woody. And thank you for the welcome." Woody smiled.

_

* * *

He was interesting_, she thought, sizing him up. Little Lottie, as Amber loved to refer to her, had missed the company of other ragdolls. There were many other toys in the playroom but they were all animal orientated.

But now here were toys that looked like her! When she had slipped out of the closet, she first noticed the fabric doll being carried across the room by the Beanie Babies. Her smile widened at the mere thought of another ragdoll in the room!

She'd noticed, from her position under the bed, that Amber had picked out of the box two other toys; a cowgirl –she'd heard Amber squeal 'Bullet Babs' – and what looked to be a astronaut – she'd then heard Amber proclaim the words 'Buzz Lightyear' with glee. She was anxious to meet them, too. Amber had never had many female toys, or even space toys for that matter.

She could see a blonde doll in the middle of the floor taking up all the attention from the Barbie's, who were complimenting her hair, her clothes, pulling at her jacket, and the blonde was lapping it up like a cat with a saucer of cream.

Then she had spotted the cowboy doll watching over the others climbing out of the box Bonnie had brought over. She supposed him to be the leader of these toys. That would be nice. The playroom could use a little authority other than herself, she had often mused. She had been unofficially appointed the leader of Amber's room and that suited her fine. It had given her the power she needed, without making her into a bolshy forward toy, but at the same time it had also saved her from merely blending into the background.

Now as she greeted the cowboy leader, he introduced himself and she acknowledged him with a nod. "Nice to meet you," she said cordially.

Yes, things were going to be pretty different around here now she had some toys to actually talk to, Lottie thought, before the sound of footsteps along the corridor outside the room made her turn.

* * *

_Sorry for the short chapter! I have more ideas for Woody and Lottie's converse a bit later._


	5. Musical Accompaniment

**Chapter Five – Musical Accompaniment**

_Song used for Rochelle in this chapter is "Airplanes" – BoB feat Hayley Williams. I do not own copyright, yada yada._

_

* * *

_

"Quick, someone's coming," Lottie called to the other toys, and there was a mad scramble as the toys who had just climbed out of the box jumped back in, and Lottie ran for cover with all the other toys who had come out of hiding. Buzz and Jessie, still on the bed, ran back to the positions Amber had left them in and threw themselves down just in time for the door to open.

Amber skipped into the room and picked up Buzz off the bed, "C'mon space ranger man, we're going to go zroooom around and eat pudding!" She declared, and skipped back out again. The door shut behind her and Jessie sat bolt upright.

_Buzz had told her he loved her. He had thought what Amber had done with them was the natural next step. _

She fidgeted, looking down at her hands, remembering his firm grasp on her wrists, so sure of what he was saying. Once upon a time she would have loved to hear him say those words, to make her complete, but now...now she didn't know what to do. She did adore him, she really did. She just didn't know how to form the words to reply, and it made him sad, she knew.

'_It's not like he asked you to marry him,'_ she thought, with a wry smile. They had just been...intimate. Her first time, too. And his too, she was certain. She hadn't even realised what Amber had done with them, until they were doing it. She felt a warm rush sneak through her. _She'd enjoyed it_, she realised. So what was wrong with her voicebox? Why couldn't she speak her mind all of a sudden? Why couldn't she tell Buzz the same words he'd told her?

Her reverie was broken by Rochelle, who called to her from the floor below.

"Hey Jess! You alone up there?"

Jessie looked down and nodded, and Rochelle grinned. "Great, I need to warm up my vocals with a little singing, otherwise they'll go all slack. Will you listen to me? "

"Sure." Jessie agreed. She had nothing better to do other than ponder everything and anything to do with Buzz.

"Alright," Rochelle bubbled. Jessie jumped down, and walked out with Rochelle to the area by the dresser. The blonde tossed her hair back over her shoulders, did a little fussing with her clothes, ummed and ahhed a tad, sang her scales, and deemed herself ready enough to begin.

She took a deep breath and started to sing, acappella.

_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now__  
__Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now_

She pausedand took another breath to carry on, but before she could sing any more, another voice, a male one this time, sounded from somewhere close by. Rochelle's head snapped up and her brow furrowed at the acappella rap.

_Yeah, I could use a dream or a genie or a wish__  
__To go back to a place much simpler than this__  
__Cause after all the partyin' and smashin' and crashin'__  
__And all the glitz and the glam and the fashion__  
__And all the pandemonium and all the madness__  
__There comes a time where you fade to the blackness__  
__And when you're staring at that phone in your lap__  
__And you hoping but that people never call you back_

"Jessie? Where's that coming from?" Rochelle hissed, looking all around as if the owner of the voice might magically appear. Jessie shrugged, looking around curiously too, as Rochelle took a few steps out further into the middle of the playroom, peering around as if she might spot something. The song continued even as Rochelle spoke and stepped forward.

_But that's just how the story unfolds__  
__You get another hand soon after you fold__  
__And when your plans unravel__  
__And they sayin' what would you wish for__  
__If you had one chance__  
__So airplane airplane sorry I'm late__  
__I'm on my way so don't close that gate__  
__If I don't make that then I'll switch my flight__  
__And I'll be right back at it by the end of the night_

Rochelle started to sing again, her pretty melody haunting Jessie's soul. Who was the singing stranger?

_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now__  
__Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now_

Rochelle saw him step out from behind the dresser, her eyes taking him in. Her breathing quickened as he walked into the light, strolling towards her...rapping, not skipping a beat.

_Somebody take me back to the days__  
__Before this was a job, before I got paid__  
__Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank__  
__Yeah back when I was tryin' to get into the subway__  
__And back when I was rappin' for the hell of it__  
__But now a days we rappin' to stay relevant__  
__I'm guessin that if we can make some wishes outta airplanes__  
__Then maybe yo maybe I'll go back to the days_

Rochelle stood there and stared, a smile forming on her face, as she started to get into the rhythm of the rap he was doing. Her hips moved as to the imaginary beat they were creating.

_Before the politics that we call the rap game__  
__And back when ain't nobody listened to my mix tape__  
__And back before I tried to cover up my slang__  
__But this is for the Cada, what's up Bobby Ray__  
__So can I get a wish to end the politics__  
__And get back to the music that started this stuff__  
__So here I stand and then again I say__  
__I'm hopin' we can make some wishes outta airplanes_

Then Rochelle started to sing on her own again, and Jessie noticed the male doll looked remarkably similar to Ken, from their time at Sunnyside. He was also giving Rochelle a good look over, and Jessie wondered what he wanted. He obviously thought a lot of himself, he was pushing his blonde hair out of his face the same way that Rochelle tended to toss hers.

_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now__  
__Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars__  
__I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now_

As Rochelle finished, the male doll started to adlib his rap, picking out some lines from the rap he had just completed, and Rochelle overlaid the rapping with some soft harmonizing of her own. The two voices joined in harmony sent a warm chill down Jessie's spine as she watched Rochelle in her element.

The look Rochelle was sending the male doll in return now was one of flirtiness, as she finished her harmony and they stood there together in the middle of the toy room, gazing rapturously at each other_._

Jessie bit her lip. _'Mattel made two of 'em,'_ she thought, and giggled inwardly to herself.


	6. First Meetings

**Chapter 6 – First Meetings**

"So, you're a sheriff, huh? With your trusty steed and your deputy, right?" Lottie was taking a stroll around the playroom with Woody, showing him all the various parts of the room. It felt strange to not be fully in charge, Woody found, first with the advent of being in Bonnie's room and having to surrender in some ways to Dolly, and now here, with Lottie in charge of the many toys who made up Amber's room.

"Yes..." Woody said shortly, "And you? For a shepherdess you don't seem to have any sheep."

"Oh, I'm not a shepherdess," Lottie laughed. "I don't have a crook. And I lack sheep, if you hadn't noticed."

"That's funny. You look exactly like one." Woody said simply. _"Like someone I used to know."_ He added to himself.

"No. I'm part patchwork doll," Lottie replied. When Woody glanced across she shrugged. "I don't know what the other part of me is, though. I seem to have been thrown together with whatever material was left over." She smiled wryly. "I think I was mass produced overseas somewhere. I remember Amber choosing me at some beach resort one year, and I left many siblings of mine behind." She laughed now, "I had a proper extended family, I guess."

Woody chuckled at her frankness. "I'm lucky I only have one sister. Trust me, one of Jessie is enough."

"She gets on very well with that space toy of yours." Lottie remarked. "I saw them talking earlier."

"Buzz? Yeah. They've been together ever since we arrived at Bonnie's. Our old owner," Woody explained.

"Pardon me saying, but you don't look young enough to have had just one owner, " Lottie said softly, and then coughed and went to rephrase, "Sorry! I mean..."

"It's ok," Woody soothed. "You'd be right. We came from another home before that. My original owner was Andy. " He lifted his foot and showed her the underside of his boot. "See?"

"Ah." came the polite response from the patchwork doll. "So you were given to Bonnie, and she passed you along again? That's some form of luck right there." She glanced around. "Amber does seem to love the comfort of her toys." She stopped, staring around wistfully, and even when Woody looked at her she didn't elaborate.

* * *

"So, do they give you a name along with that fabulous singing voice?" he asked.

Rochelle blushed scarlet. "Aw, go on," she batted at him playfully and he looked amused.

"No seriously. What do they call –you?-"

Rochelle giggled again and Jessie looked on, also in amusement. Rochelle was acting like a complete ditz around this male toy.

"It's Rochelle," she responded breathily, "and you are...?"

"Blaine."

"Ooh." was Rochelle's breathy response again. "I like it." Her eyes travelled up and down him in appreciation. 'Blaine' was wearing a leather jacket, ripped blue denim jeans, black boots, and a black shirt with red lettering emblazoned over it. He also wore a long, tarnished chain around his neck with a pendant on the end of it. She smiled again, like a schoolgirl, swaying slowly side to side shyly.

"So, Rochelle," he smiled, rolling the 'r' on the beginning of her name, and Rochelle felt her knees dissolving, first at his smile and then the way he said her name. "How would you like a proposition?"

"I'd love one." She didn't know what a proposition was, but heck, she'd do anything for this hunk of toy.

"How would you like to meet my band?"

"Your band?" Rochelle's eyes widened. "You're in a band?"

"Yeah," he was staring at her intently. "We lost our lead singer recently."

"Oh, what a shame. Glottal attack?" Rochelle asked.

"No. She had her head pulled off when we were at Amber's house."

Rochelle winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah." Blaine conceded sadly. "Amber's mom found her before we left to come here, and threw her out."

"So we're not at Amber's house?" Jessie broke in curiously.

"No." Blaine looked at Jessie, noticing her for the first time. "This is Amber's cousin's house. Amber's just here...for a visit," he finished.

"Oh," Jessie said, and fell silent. Blaine turned back to Rochelle.

"So, you want to come and meet the band? I'm sure they'd be thrilled to meet _you_."

"Wow. I feel so insignificant all of a sudden," Rochelle laughed, and linked her arm through Blaine's. She turned to look at Jessie. "I'll take it from here, sugar pop. Thanks for your help and all."

Jessie blinked. Rochelle's batteries needed changing, by the sound of it. She was on full moron mode as she waltzed off, arm in arm with Blaine.

"_Tell me I wasn't that bad when I first met Buzz,"_ Jessie thought, looking up at the ceiling.

* * *

_Note: Glottal attack is a problem that is common in singers. It describes the action of the vocal chords slamming together quickly and forcefully before sound begins, causing an increase in muscular tension in the larynx area. It is considered a form of vocal abuse which can occur during excessive throat clearing, coughing or at the beginning of vowel sounds and frequent use can cause damage to the vocal chords including lesions and nodules. _


	7. Notes

**Several notes before I continue:**

_I had to do some in depth research for the band Blaine mentions._

_I've had it in mind for a while to use a toy band, and wanted to use it for __**Dancing Princess**__, but it didn't fit properly. However with a new owner, I thought it feasible enough. Then of course, I had to find out exactly what I was going to do with it._

_After some prolonged Googling and image searches, I discovered that Mattel developed a toy band and an actual show relating to 'Barbie & The Rockers'. I found pictures of them, but the one that struck me was the one that seemed to incorporate a drummer, vocalist, and what looks to be a guitarist and bassist - and one toy is male._

_Then the names. This was easier than I thought, and again, via Google I found __Blaine__, who was conceived by Mattel for the Barbie range, and he had a sister, __Summer__ (who was Barbie's best friend)._

_The third member of the band, __Teresa__, is simply borrowed from a Barbie doll so named on Amazon._

_The other un named toys – Beanie Babies, My Little Pony, etc, are mostly from my own childhood memories, and toys I've kept in storage to this day._


	8. Sweet Music

**Chapter Eight – Sweet Music**

_Note: Apologies for the delay in this chapter. I've had HORRIBLE writers block, which I have had relieved by talking to a friend on Facebook, lol. (Thanks, Ginger! Expect to see your name honourably mentioned in a soon to be written fic!)_

* * *

Blaine led Rochelle under the bed, and through a heating vent. "Stay close," he whispered, and she tottered along behind him as they navigated the venting system. They reached another vent opening soon after, and, checking the coast was clear, Blaine opened the vent and hopped out. He turned to help Rochelle down, taking her hand, and she blushed coyly for a moment.

He cleared his throat. "Well, here we are."

Rochelle looked around as Blaine wandered off ahead. They were in a big room, the ceiling was high and Rochelle suddenly felt very small again. She noticed there were a lot of assorted things in this room. Boxes piled on boxes, bicycles, tools...she took a hesitant step forward. afraid some of it might fall on her. Then Blaine appeared back at her side, making her jump.

"Don't do that," she squeaked, her eyes still looking around in fear. "Where did you go?"

"I had to make sure the others were around to meet you."

"Others?" Rochelle said vaguely, peering upwards at a hula hoop hanging on a hook attached to the beam of the room.

"My band members?" Blaine sounded irritated at her vagueness, and Rochelle turned her attention on him again.

"Oh, your band, right, right..." She murmured. "Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"Where the heck are we?"

"This little place? This is the jamming room, girl."

"The...jamming...room?" She queried.

"Yeah, you know, getting funky."

Rochelle blinked.

"Where we make sweet music."

Another blank stare.

Blaine sighed. "Where we go for band practise."

Rochelle face lit up. "Right!" She looked around, "So, where's your band?"

"Right through here," Blaine led her around the back of a dolls house, where there were two Barbies sitting conversing on plastic chairs. Rochelle's dreams immediately faded. So this was showbiz? She didn't seem to have come very far from Bonnie's playroom after all. _After five years, you'd expect a leg up in this business_, she mused.

Still, she plastered a smile on her face as Blaine introduced her. "Girls, this is Rochelle." He didn't roll the 'R' on her name this time, and Rochelle was momentarily upset, but kept smiling.

"Hi," she chirruped brightly. The doll sitting nearest her, a redhead, turned her head and shoulders to look at her.

"Hi." She said, flatly, turning back and continuing her conversation with the other doll, a dark haired, pale skinned doll with big ebony coloured eyes. The second doll was only half listening to the redhead, though. Her eyes kept watching Rochelle as Blaine continued his introductions. Rochelle looked back at her. The ebony eyed doll was wearing a pair of purple three quarter length jeans, a short sleeved, sparkly gold top, and black wedge shoes.

"This," Blaine said, indicating the dark haired doll, " is Teresa, and this," he rolled his eyes at Rochelle with a smile, "is Summer." He tapped the red head on the shoulder.

"What do you want, Blaine?" Summer asked sharply. "I told you not to bother me." She turned and Rochelle got a better look at her. The flame haired Barbie was dressed in a red patterned halterneck and black shorts, with knee high red socks and heels. She was in every way, Rochelle sensed, a diva.

"I just wanted to introduce Rochelle to you both."

"Well, you introduced her, now go away," Summer turned her back on him pointedly, and Rochelle felt awkward.

"Maybe we should go, Blaine."

"No, I want them to hear you sing."

"Sing?" Teresa had perked up at the mere word. Summer threw up her hands and let them land back in her lap.

"Teresa, this is meant to be our afternoon for girlie gossip. I haven't even told you what Glamour Doll Barbie did to Holiday Barbie after they both wore the same dress to that dance last week!"

Teresa was not interested. "Another time, Summer," she dismissed it, and Summer wailed.

"But I spent a whole evening trying to get it out of Cheerleader Barbie, and she doesn't give up the gossip easily!"

But Teresa was already on her feet and walking over to Rochelle, "So, you sing?" She asked excitedly, looking her up and down.

"Sure..." Rochelle began.

Teresa grinned. "Sing something, then."

"Er..." Rochelle faltered. Blaine was looking at her too.

Teresa wrinkled her nose. "You can sing, right?"

"Of course I can sing!" Rochelle said haughtily.

Summer laughed. "Prove it."

"I will." Rochelle glared past Teresa at the red head, "I just don't know what to sing."

"Well...how about a little music for the soul. That should help warm you up," Blaine suggested. He walked across to where a guitar was on a stand and picked it up. He strummed a few strings, tuning the guitar. "Just sing whatever you feel like singing."

Rochelle hesitated and listened to him play for a while._ What should she sing?_ Her brain babbled cluelessly. Wait, what was that song Bonnie always used to sing when she was playing with her? She focused, and began;

"_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.__  
__You make me happy, when skies are grey.__  
__You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.__  
__Please don't take my sunshine away."_

She stopped singing, suddenly shy of her talent, and Teresa smiled.

"That's so precious. Beautiful, even."

From behind her, Summer rolled her eyes. "I can think of a few other things it could be called, as well."

Teresa sighed at Summer's blatant disapproval. "Don't mind Summer. She's can be a bit pretentious, but shes okay, really."

Rochelle smiled. "That's okay. I don't mind her gifts."

Teresa blinked. "What?"

"Presents. I don't mind if she wants to be a bit of a present."

Teresa coughed. "Right. Right. Presents. Yeah." She paused, and coughed again, fighting the urge to laugh. "So, how would you like to see us play?"

"I get to see you guys play?" Rochelle's eyes widened.

"Sure. Private concert! C'mon Summer, let's go set up." Teresa left Rochelle's side and grabbed Summer's hand, yanking the redhead up, despite her protests for more Barbie related chatter.

Rochelle watched them go, then turned back to Blaine, who was now adjusting his guitar strap around his neck.

He saw her look. "Yeah, they're pretty cool, aren't they," he said brightly, and Rochelle sighed.

"Yeah, but I don't think Summer likes me."

"Nonsense, she'll love you. I'll talk her round."

"How can you be so sure you'll have any bearing on her mindset?" Rochelle frowned and fluffed her hair.

"Simple. Older brothers have that knack," Blaine winked, and strolled off after the departing girls, as Rochelle digested the information with horror.


	9. Rockin'

**Chapter 9 – Rockin'**

_Note: Song used in this chapter is Status Quo's Rocking All Over the World. I don't own copyright, yada yada.

* * *

_

"Pew pew pew!" came Amber's voice down the corridor.

Jessie, who had settled down with Slinky to work on a puzzle, hopped to her feet at the sound. "Amber's coming!" she called to the other toys, and scrambled back to her spot on the bed.

She flopped down in place as Amber opened the door and jumped inside, pressing the laser button on Buzz's arm as she did so. "Pew pew pew!" She shouted again, aiming the laser around the room. "Let's shoot all 'em mean little invisible germs!" She giggled and ran over to the bed, jumping on it and rolling onto her tummy. From down the corridor, her cousin's voice came drifting to meet her ears.

"Amber, honey, did you unpack the toys Bonnie brought over? I'm sure Mommy would love to see them, you know."

"Yes!" Amber called, fibbing. She put Buzz down on the bed and jumped up, scurrying to the box and picking it up, tipping it upside down and unceremoniously dumping all the toys out of it; they ended up in a heap on the floor. Amber crouched, pushing the pile apart, and noticed Woody. "Ooh. Cow...boy...doll." She remembered what Bonnie had said.

'_...i__t's the most precious toy in the world...__'_

Amber gasped. "Oh, it was you!" She looked around at Jessie, sitting with Buzz on the bed against the pillow. "Well, you better come with me, Sheriff Giddyap," She giggled, and picked him up. "Where's Firestorm?" She rifled through the toys and plucked Bullseye out of the pile too. She sat Woody on his back and made him ride 'Firestorm' towards the bed, where she placed them down with Jessie and Buzz. She ran back over to the other toys, picking up Buttercup and Mr Pricklepants, placing them on the top of her dresser. She pushed Slinky onto her bookcase, and, noticing Lottie sitting on the window seat, placed Dolly next to her.

"There," she declared. "All unpacked!" She picked up the box, and ran out of the room, closing the door behind her. The toys that had finally been unpacked looked around the room, grinning at each other. Their new home was official.

On the bed Jessie unfroze and glanced at Buzz. "Invisible germs?" She wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Buzz shrugged. "Amber's cousin – Shelly – is a bit of a hygiene freak, so it turns out. I've never seen a kid have to wash her hands so much!"

Jessie laughed, forgetting about the last time she'd seen Buzz, and what he'd said. But it was clear, from the look he was giving her, it was going to take longer for him to forget such a conversation.

* * *

"Just sit here," Blaine said, dragging across an old sponge for Rochelle to sit herself on. When she looked at it in disgust he sighed and took off his jacket, spreading it over the sponge. "For madam," he said sarcastically, and Rochelle hopped up.

"Thank you, kind sir," she said, looking up at him again with a shy smile. As she did so she noticed his biceps were now much more apparent without the jacket. If she hadn't been sitting down she probably would have fallen over.

Blaine, not noticing her stares, was walking over to the stage – which appeared to be a shoebox. On top of it, Summer and Teresa were getting ready for their impromptu show. Summer, Rochelle noticed, still had a face like thunder. She was messing with the guitar, tightening and untightening the strings. Teresa was pushing the foot pedal on her drum kit, sounding the bass drum every so often. Blaine still had his guitar with him, strap around his neck. "Ready to go ladies?" he asked chauvinistically.

Summer muttered something and nodded. Teresa tapped her cymbals a couple of times. "Yes," She called. Blaine nodded, adjusted the microphone on the stand in front of him, and spoke into it.

"Okay...Rochelle. This is a little song we love to sing every so often. This is called Rockin' All Over The World. Enjoy." He winked at her, and Rochelle melted like butter. He was a god of toys, that's what he was.

Teresa started her drumming, Blaine hit the initial guitar solo, and he belted out the lyrics.

_Oh here we are and here we are and here we go__  
__All aboard and we're hittin' the road__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world_

_Well giddy up giddy up and get away__  
__We're goin' crazy and we're goin' today__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world_

_And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it__  
__I li-li-li-like it, li-li-li__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world_

As the song faded out and the instrumental started, Summer, also with a guitar around her neck, jumped forward for her own solo. Her fingers moved so fast over the strings of the guitar that Rochelle was deeply impressed by the doll's talent. Blaine was back on the microphone.

_We're gonna tell your mama what you're gonna do__  
__So come on out with your dancing shoes__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world_

_And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it__  
__I li-li-li-like it, li-li-li__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world__  
__(slower) And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it__  
__I li-li-li-like it, li-li-li__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world__  
__And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it__  
__I li-li-li-like it, li-li-li__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world__  
__And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it__  
__I li-li-li-like it, li-li-li__  
__Here we go, rockin' all over the world_

As the song faded out again Summer joined Blaine in the middle of the stage, as he kept the under beat going she overlaid it with some fancy guitar work – mostly high riffs and chords. To Rochelle's untrained musical ear, it was nothing short of perfect. These dolls really knew how to put on a show. It was certainly a catchy song, she couldn't help wanting to bop along to it. As the guitar riffs Summer played wound down, Rochelle could do nothing more than sit there and clap.

"That was amazing," She shrilled genuinely, as Teresa jumped out from behind her drum kit. Blaine and Summer put their guitars down and climbed down off the shoebox. "I don't know why you guys hide down here. You should come upstairs and let everyone see you play!"

"Nah," Summer said dismissively. "We don't play for audiences anymore."

"But why not?" Rochelle asked, and Summer sniffed.

"We just don't. We spend our time down here in the garage."

"Garage?"

"Yeah. Where did you think we were? Hawaii?" Summer sniffed again.

"What's a garage?"

"It's where the humans keep anything they don't want," Teresa tried to explain helpfully. "They also park cars in here, it's basically storage."

Rochelle's mind could only make sense of one thing. "Don't want? Amber didn't want you guys?"

There was an awkward silence. Blaine shifted. "Yeah. Ever since we lost Popstar Barbie, Amber hasn't wanted to play with us much. I guess we remind her of the old days."

"Old days? The kid just took in nine new toys," Rochelle pointed out.

"Geez, lady, don't you ever quit!" Summer said sharply. "We already told you. We DON'T play for audiences, we DON'T enter the playroom, and we DON'T talk about Barbie, okay?"

Rochelle was taken aback. Blaine sensed the atmosphere was starting to become stifling, and picked his jacket up. "C'mon Rochelle. It's time we were heading back." He turned to Teresa and Summer. "I'll be back later. Good playing with you guys again."

As Blaine led her away, Rochelle was full of contemplation. She wasn't that dumb. Something was going on here. But what?


	10. Doctors & Nosiness

**Chapter Ten – Doctors and Nosiness**

The next day, Amber was in the playroom with the company of her cousin Shelly.

"Amber, remember what the doctor said. Bring two toys with you today." Shelly said, sorting through a pile of laundry she'd laid on the bed.

"I don't wanna go doctors," Amber said petulantly, biting her lip. She flung herself down across her bed. "I don't want to talk to her anymore."

"Amber!" cousin Shelly said, leaving her laundry for a moment and seating herself on the bed next to Amber. She placed a reassuring hand on the little girl's back. "The doctor said you have to keep going to see her until you feel better."

"But I don't wanna."

"No, huh? Not even if I told you Mommy's coming by later? I might get her to take you for ice cream, too, how about that?"

Amber's face lit up as she turned to look at her cousin. "Ice scream?"

"Ice scream," her cousin confirmed, and Amber squealed.

"I want mint chocolate chip!"

"Okay, well we'll see what we can do about that. But first, choose two toys for me." Shelly countered.

Without hesitation Amber turned and picked up Jessie and Buzz. "Done."

"That was quick." Shelly narrowed her eyes at Amber. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd pre-selected them."

Amber merely giggled.

* * *

After Amber left with Shelly to have breakfast before going to see the doctor, Jessie sighed and got up from her place on the bed. Bullseye removed himself from Woody's side as the cowgirl paced to the other end, as far away as she could get from Woody and Buzz without physically removing herself from the top of the bed. She stopped at the edge, and as Bullseye walked up behind her, he bumped the side of his muzzle against her thigh.

Jessie turned with a start, but on seeing it was Bullseye, knelt down in front of the horse to pet his nose. "I don't know why I can't say it," she complained quietly to Bullseye, who was confused at her random outburst, but nuzzled his mistress comfortingly. "I thought about nothing else all night. Buzz says he loves me, and I know that I return it, but the sentence gets caught here," she placed a hand over her throat. "I can't even admit it to you, Bullseye." She added sadly. "After thirteen years, I should have managed to even admit it to myself that he might be feeling that way."

Bullseye nudged her shoulder and she leaned her head against him more firmly, her body shaking. "I wish I could tell him, Bullseye. I really freaking wish I could," she whispered, and he licked her cheek.

* * *

Across from the cowgirl and the horse, Woody looked on. Why was his sister suddenly looking so upset? And why did Buzz look as if he'd chewed a mouthful of spinach?

"Buzz," he hissed, not wanting to make Jessie aware of a conversation between them. "Have you and Jessie had another fight?"

"No Woody. Just some...personal issues." Buzz said, vaguely.

"Like what?"

Buzz hesitated. "Jessie's a little freaked out over Amber. I don't know why."

"Freaked out?"

"Yeah. That and something I might have said about it."

"Buzz, have you been insensitive to her?" Woody asked, starting to feel protective.

"Not in the slightest. I thought what I said might make a difference, that's all."

"Clearly, it has. She's upset, Buzz!"

"I know. I'd give anything to change that. Take my words back. But I can't. I've got to wait for her to come around to my way of thinking." Buzz said dismally.

Woody snorted. "Good luck with that, ranger. Jessie's as stubborn as a mule, and then some."

* * *

After breakfast Amber returned to the playroom to collect Buzz and Jessie, and put them into her little satchel. "See you guys later," she called to the room and skipped out.

When the car pulled out of the driveway the toys started to move. They hadn't moved much since last night, except for formal introductions between themselves from their various places around the room. Rochelle had rejoined the group last night as well, and Amber was surprised to see the new doll lying randomly on the floor where the box had been. She'd pushed her onto the bookcase between her books, muttering something about being sure she'd unpacked and put away all her toys. She'd then gone on to draw pictures until bedtime rolled around, resting the paper on a large hardback book whilst lying on her bed.

Lottie, who was still in place on the windowsill next to Dolly, stretched her arms up above her head. "Wow, that was a long night."

"Yeah," Dolly agreed. She glanced at Lottie. "So, I get the feeling you're in charge around here? I was in charge at the old home we were at."

Lottie nodded. "Yeah. It's okay here really. Lots of toys to look after. Lots of things to do. Lots to talk about."

"Like what?" Dolly asked, curiously. For a playroom with so many toys the space seemed incredibly lacking and cold. Even Amber didn't spend much time in her own room, she noticed. She only came up between meals to grab the occasional toy, and otherwise the only time the toys saw her was when she was sleeping. Last night, by all accounts, had been a rarity.

"Well..." Lottie thought for a while. "We talk about how much we miss Amber's old room."

"Right." Dolly understood. She missed Bonnie's room, too, even though she hadn't told anyone. "But I bet she's going back there soon, right? This is just temporary?"

Lottie brightened. "Yeah. Maybe." She looked down at her dress, fiddling with the hem. "Hopefully things will be different when we go back." She said quietly, ignoring the curious look Dolly gave her.

"So..." Dolly attempted a subject change to get the other doll talking again. "What's wrong with Amber?"

Lottie's eyes snapped up to look at Dolly. "Nothing!" She said abruptly, startling the other doll. "I mean, nothing's wrong with Amber. What gave you that idea?"

"Er...no reason, I suppose." Dolly's eyes lingered on the face of the patchwork doll. "I just thought, because she has to go to the doctors."

"Oh, that? That's just play time for Amber."

"At a doctors?"

"Yeah."

"Seems a bit weird."

"Not really. It's good for her, apparently. She gets stuff sorted out there."

"How do you mean?"

"She gets to talk with her Mom."

"Her Mom's the doctor?"

"No, she's just there watching with Cousin Shelly. They make sure Amber's play time goes okay."

"Right." This was sounding more and more bizarre to Dolly every moment. A monitored play session where Amber was supervised by three adults, one of them being a doctor? She said no more, but resolved to talk to Woody. She'd seen him talking to Lottie the previous day. Maybe he could shed some light on the situation.


	11. Awkward Silences

**Chapter Eleven – Awkward Silences**

"Buzz?" Jessie asked the space toy quietly. He was sitting in the corner of Amber's satchel looking forlorn.

"Yeah?" Buzz answered non-committally.

"Is everything okay?" Jessie hedged.

"Sure. Everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You've been awful quiet since last night." Jessie stated, moving over next to him. "Did I make you mad?"

"No, Jessie. Just concerned."

"Concerned? Why?"

Buzz flicked his eyes up to her face and put his hand on her knee. "I told you I loved you, and you didn't respond quite how I thought you might."

"Oh Buzz, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I...I...well you know I return it."

"I'd have liked to have heard you say it." Buzz said quietly. Jessie sighed.

"I just don't think I'm that sort of doll."

"What sort of doll do you have to be in order to tell me you love me too?" Buzz asked, his eyes not leaving her face.

Jessie didn't know how to respond to this. "I just don't think I'm quite there...yet..." she stalled. It was a huge lie. She adored Buzz, but she still couldn't find it in herself to actually tell him what he needed to hear. "Give it time, okay?"

"Jess! It's been years!" Buzz hissed angrily. "If you don't love me, tell me, and we'll go from there."

"Buzz, you know I...I..." Jessie stammered. This was so unfair. Why was he behaving like a moron suddenly?

"You what Jess?" Buzz grabbed her wrists like he had done the previous day, almost as if he was trying to squeeze it out of her.

"Buzz, that hurts. Let go!" Jessie pulled her wrists from his grasp, and a look of dismay flashed over the spacetoy's face.

"Oh God, Jess, I don't know what came over me!" His apology was instantaneous as Jessie rubbed her wrists one after the other. She was about to reply when the motion of the car stopped and they felt Amber pick up the bag they were in, and carry them inside the doctor's office.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the house, Dolly had located Woody up on the bed. He was playing fetch with Bullseye, using his hat as the object for Bullseye to fetch. Both cowboy and horse were having a lot of fun, Dolly surmised as she watched them for a while before meandering over to flop down next to the cowboy doll. "Howdy, stranger," she said cheerfully, watching Bullseye retrieve the hat from the end of the bed for what must have been the thirtieth time.

"Howdy there little lady," Woody returned, as Bullseye cantered over with Woody's hat in his mouth. Woody took the hat. "Bullseye, go long," he shouted, and threw the hat. Obediently, the horse trotted off after it again. Woody turned to Dolly. "Something bothering you?" He asked. Dolly rarely came to see him unless there was a problem. She was very independent that way, having been in charge of Bonnie's room all those years. In some way, he felt like_ her_ deputy.

"Sort of. Have you talked with Lottie much about things yet?" Dolly asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well," Woody started, trying to remember the main points from his conversation with the patchwork doll the previous day. "We talked about her family at the beach resort, and we talked about Jessie and Bullseye...and then we talked about previous owners."

"Oh, I see. She didn't mention Amber at all?"

"Just that Amber likes the comfort of her toys," Woody said flatly, as Bullseye galloped back, hat in mouth.

"Bit strange for an eight year old to need comfort of toys."

"Not really. Andy was still playing with us at the age of seven." Woody remarked, tossing the hat again and watching Bullseye race after it once more.

"Yeah. Playing. Not comfort. It's not the same thing. Why would a child of eight need the _comfort_?" Dolly asked, and Woody shrugged.

"Maybe it's just a poor choice of words."

"I don't think so. I was talking to Lottie very briefly earlier, Woody. Something is weird around here, and I can't put my stuffed finger on it."

Woody threw Dolly a glance. "You're imagining things. All the toys here are happy, look how they greeted us!"

Dolly considered this. That was true, the playroom was a joyful place. Almost abnormally joyful. It seemed almost too good to be true. As Bonnie always used to remark snidely throughout her teens, if it was too good to be true, it probably was.

* * *

The hours passed, and eventually Amber returned from her doctor's visit. Dolly remained sceptical. An hour and a half at the doctors? That was some appointment!

Amber left her satchel on the bed and grabbed the pictures she'd drawn the previous evening. "I gotta show Mommy," she giggled happily, and darted out of the room again.

When she was clearly gone, the satchel moved and Buzz pushed his way out of the opening. He aided Jessie out into the light as well. She was looking dishevelled, her hat falling off her head as she stepped out, blinking at the brightness of the room.

"Thank heavens you two are safe," Lottie rushed over to the side of the bed, looking up at Buzz and Jessie. "I was so worried. The last time Amber took toys to her play session, one of them lost their head. Literally."

Jessie swallowed. "Play session?" Buzz handed over her hat but she didn't take it.

Dolly, who had followed Lottie with her eyes when she'd jumped up so eagerly, listened in from her spot on the windowsill. This sounded intriguing. Woody, on the bed with Bullseye still, was also listening attentively. From the bookcase, Rochelle's attention was gleaned by the words 'lost their head.'

Lottie suddenly realised she had an attentive audience. She tried to play it down. "Yeah. Play session. Did you guys have a good time?"

Jessie looked at Buzz. Buzz looked back at Jessie. They both shifted at the same time.

"Yeah it was good," Jessie said, biting her lip and snatching her hat from Buzz.

"Great," Buzz chimed in, trying to look nonchalant despite Jessie's behaviour.

"Awesome. We always have the best time when we play with Amber. We try and cheer her up as much as we can." Lottie chirruped merrily, and wandered off.

* * *

On the bookcase, Rochelle started to make her way to the floor. "Yo, Raggedy Ann," she called after Lottie, who was making her way back to the window. "You got a minute?"

Lottie turned. "Are you addressing me?"

"Yeah." Rochelle said, and Lottie could be seen to frown.

"The names Lottie, need I remind you."

Rochelle dropped down to the floor. "Annie, Lottie, what's the difference," she said placidly, then moved on to her question. "What's all this about losing your head?"

"Losing my...? Oh, that? It was years ago." Lottie said indifferently.

"I don't actually care whether it was last week, last month, or last year's lunar cycle. What happened?" Rochelle planted herself in front of Lottie, and put her hands on her hips.

Lottie sighed and closed her eyes. "It's really not important."

"Quit stalling, sister. I haven't got the time," Rochelle said bluntly, and Lottie relented.

"Fine. It was a few years ago when Amber started play sessions. She was going along alright and then one day she brought home Popstar Barbie, who was quite broken. She'd snapped her head off at play session."

"Why?" Rochelle asked.

Lottie didn't answer. Rochelle waited, but no sound left Lottie's mouth.

"Why did Amber snap Barbie's head off?" Rochelle elongated the question.

"I don't know." Lottie had clammed up now. "I've said too much already, and I have to go and do...something." She started to walk off, and Rochelle glared after her.

These toys were full of secrets. But at least she'd learned the true tale of how Popstar Barbie met her demise.


	12. Realisation

**Chapter Twelve - Realisation**

"Blaine?" Rochelle called, pulling at the vent that led into the garage. "Blaine?" She had hated the vent so much. She picked her way through the tunnel, hoping she'd remembered the right way, and now she was stuck at the other end.

"Blaine?" She hissed a third time. Where the hell was he?

"Rochelle? Is that you?" Teresa's voice sounded from the garage depths, and Rochelle nodded.

There was silence. "Rochelle?"

Rochelle nodded again as Teresa walked out from behind a toolbox. The dark haired toy laughed. "You know, Rochelle, in a garage, no one can hear you nod."

"Oh. Right." Rochelle flushed, embarrassed at her own stupidity for once. Teresa climbed over the junk between them and landed in front of the vent.

"I bet you've been trying to pull this vent open for ages, too, right?" she smirked.

"Yeah. Can you get it open?" Rochelle asked, giving the vent another tug.

"Sure." Teresa gave another huge smirk and pulled the vent towards her. The vent came loose, and Rochelle flushed even redder. Teresa allowed herself to laugh.

"You only do it once, girl. Remember, push, not pull."

"Mmm." Rochelle attempted to regain her dignity as she stepped out of the vent. "So where's Blaine? I kind of need to talk to him."

"Blaine's over by the doll house talking with Summer. It's getting pretty heated. I'd err on the side of caution, if I were you." Teresa advised, as Rochelle started to make her way over to the dollhouse on the other side of the garage.

* * *

"Lottie?" Woody finally felt it was safe to bother Lottie. She'd sat by the window all morning after what looked to be a quick chat with Rochelle, and had not stirred even when Dolly attempted to make conversation with her later. Woody had seen Dolly shoot him a look that seemed to say 'I told you so'.

He kept a watchful eye over the patchwork doll until she finally pulled herself away from the window to wander over to the bookcase. She took down a book off the lowest shelves, and busied herself reading for a time. But Woody could tell her heart wasn't in the book, and her mind was elsewhere, as she took far too long to read the phrases on the page. And Lottie, he assumed, was not un-intelligent when it came to words and putting together a sentence.

So he'd taken the chance, while she was sitting there lost and distracted, to make a move over to her.

She glanced up and shut the book on her lap. "Yes?" Her face changed into a smile. "Something up, cowboy?"

"Actually, as a matter of fact, yes." Woody knelt down next to her. "I was wondering why you were so sad this morning."

"Oh you know. Thoughts. I miss Amber when she's not in the room."

"Oh." Woody took a moment to think about Andy. He gave a wry smile. "It's always hard when the owner isn't around, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Except Amber hasn't played with me for years," Lottie said softly, and Woody felt a pang of affection for her.

"Boy, I know what you mean. When Andy got Buzz, I got my nose pushed out of place. But it's okay now. We get on. I mean, we'd have to, he's practically family since him and Jessie got involved."

"Yeah. I hope they'll be okay after that play session of Amber's. It can get pretty heavy." Lottie confided, and then covered her mouth with a hand.

Woody's interest heightened at Lottie's words. "What can?"

Lottie glanced at him. She opened her mouth then closed it again. Woody raised his eyebrows at her. Dolly's words came to his mind.

'_...s__omething is weird around here...'_

She was right, Woody realised, as he watched Lottie fight for words that didn't come out of her mouth. Something was definitely out of place.

* * *

"What do you mean, you want to tell her?" Summer's angry voice sounded from behind the doll house as Rochelle drew nearer.

"Because I think she deserves to know." Blaine's equally irritated voice rose up to meet Rochelle's ears.

"Why? That blonde freak only showed up yesterday and you want to tell her your life history in thirty seconds flat!"

"Not my life history, Summer," Blaine said, "Just what happened between me and Barbie."

"Look, Blaine, I know Amber hurt you real bad when she broke Barbie, but please, do you have to keep going over the details every time she's brought into the conversation?"

"What else can I do, Summer? It's not like she's ever **not **going to be around me. I mean, when I played with you guys yesterday, she was there..."

"She was there? What are you, some kind of medium now?" Summer snapped, and Rochelle dared peek around the side of the dollhouse to watch the argument in full swing.

"No, Summer. It was almost like old times. Like when we used to play gigs in Amber's room. You remember that? At the old house?" Blaine said, and Summer sighed.

"We can't go back to that, Blaine. Barbie isn't here. We have no lead singer. We are in storage for heaven's sake! And no hand me down rock star doll is gonna change that."

"But don't you see, Summer," Blaine wheedled. "She's our chance at making it out of storage. All we have to do is teach her the old songs, and we'll be back in the playroom doing our thing again."

Summer was silent. Rochelle held her breath.

"You think so?" Summer was starting to weaken, by the sound of it.

"I know so. You heard her sing. No, wait, you didn't hear her sing. Her singing in the playroom yesterday, it was nothing short of amazing." Blaine fudged his words in trying to impress Summer on Rochelle's behalf.

"I get it." Summer piped up. "You _like _her!"

"I do not," Blaine said grudgingly. "Yes, I like her, she has an amazing voice, but I don't _like _her."

"You do too," Summer chortled. "You're going to replace Barbie with her?"

"I'm not replacing anyone!" Blaine was angry again now.

"You're going to replace the Barbie in your heart with her! And you're going to give her Barbie's spot in the band. Well who's that for the good of? Us, or just you?" Summer countered, tossing her red hair.

"For us, Summer, for the band!" Blaine yelled, and Rochelle ducked back out of sight. Blaine liked her voice. He liked her. She felt like jelly again.

But then she frowned. What did Blaine have to tell her that Summer was so against her knowing?


	13. Zeke

**Chapter 13 - Zeke**

That evening, the toys were quietly playing skipping in Amber's room. Her mom, who had come back to the house after the play session at the doctors, had taken Amber out for dinner. The toys were gathered together under the window, for it was a hot night, and so Shelly had come up, opened the window, and let the stuffy room air.

It was about an hour after Amber's mom's car left the driveway, that another, unfamiliar, car pulled in. Lottie, who was sitting by the window, peered out. Woody, who had made sure to sit near to the patchwork doll from now on, turned with her. There was the slam of a door, and Lottie's face paled. "Oh no." She could be heard to whisper, and several of Amber's toys looked around.

"What is it?" Woody asked, looking out of the window to see a man walking towards the front of the house from the car.

"Who's that, Lottie?" Dolly asked, who was sitting on the other side of her. Suddenly there was a palpable atmosphere in the room as Lottie shivered, and whispered, "That's Zeke."

"Zeke?" Woody asked, but there was no time.

"Hide!" Lottie cried, and the toys all disbanded as fast as they had gathered. The newer toys just stood there. Lottie got up from the window and turned to see nine confused faces. "Didn't you hear me? HIDE!" She shrieked, and this time they got the message. Mr Pricklepants and Slinky ran under the bed, Rochelle scrambled into the dresser drawer, and Buttercup hid with Bullseye behind the bookcase. Buzz grabbed Jessie's hand and they got up into the nightstand drawer. Dolly jumped under the cushion by the window.

"Lottie, who is Zeke?" Woody asked again, and she glared at him.

"Are you braindead, cowboy? We need to hide, c'mon!" Lottie grabbed Woody's hand and pulled him into the closet, leaving the door ajar so she could peek out. She crouched in the shadows next to Woody, and put her finger over her lips. "Don't move a muscle, and for heaven's sake, don't talk," she hissed.

Woody, completely baffled by the sudden change in Lottie, did as he was told. He shuffled forward to peek through the gap in the closet door too. At that moment, the door slammed open and Woody heard everything in the room jump about a foot in the air. Or maybe that was just him, he realised, as Lottie's soft hand covered his, and she looked at him in the crack of light seeping through into their hiding place. He gave her a nervous smile and she rubbed his hand with hers, turning back to watch what was going on. Not that she needed to. You could hear everything without having to look.

* * *

"Where the hell is she, Shelly?" roared Zeke, stomping around the room.

"Well she's not here, if that solves your problem," Shelly said loudly, glaring at Zeke from the doorway of the room.

"But she's been here, look at all her wimpy little toys sitting around doing nothing!" Zeke hollered again. He swiped at the dresser, sending a cascade of boxes to the floor. Puzzle pieces, counters, board games all scattered in a pool over the floor, making a tremendous crash.

"Don't you dare come in here and wreck my house!" Shelly was standing tall, yelling at Zeke. "I want your intolerable backside off my property right now!"

"Or what? What you gonna do?" Zeke sneered. "You gonna get Thomas to kick me out?"

"No. I can go one better than that," Shelly said firmly, standing up to the man making every single toy in the room cower where they hid. "I'll get the police on you. I'm sure they wouldn't like to know you broke your bail and parol conditions, would they?"

"I'd like to see them put me away again," Zeke sneered again, his tone blunt. "They've got nothing on me, nothing whatsoever. My word against hers."

"And who do you think they're gonna believe? You, the pathetic, home wrecking piece of scum, or Amber, the sweet naive little eight year old?"

"Naive, please! She asked for it!" Zeke chuckled, and Woody saw angry red blotches appear on Shelly's cheeks.

"How dare you!" She spat. "She was seven years old when it happened! Don't you dare blame it on her. " She paused, then added, "I've had enough. Get your carcass off my property, right now, Zeke, or I'm calling the police."

"Oh, so tough without your Thomas, aren't you? Not standing in the background wringing your hands now, are you?"

"I swear to God, Zeke, get your lousy no good self off my property!" Shelly hollered at him, and he laughed.

"I'm going. But I'll be back. And next time, it won't be just a few upturned boxes. I'll wreck the whole room." He leered at Shelly, and left the room.

Moments later the toys heard the front door slam, followed by the slam of a car door and then the screech of tyres as the car made off into the night. When the car could no longer be heard, the toys peeked out of their hiding places cautiously, to see Shelly sitting on the floor, picking up the pieces of board games strewn everywhere, tears running down her cheeks.


	14. Things Become Apparant

**Chapter Fourteen – Things Become Apparant**

There were no words to express what each toy was feeling as they gathered together under the bed after Shelly had finished tidying up. She'd been in the room a full half hour or more, picking up pieces from every corner of the room, rearranging the games neatly on the dresser again. She'd cried the entire time, and it scared all the toys, especially the newer ones, who still had no idea what to make of it.

Lottie was first to break the room's silence when she crawled out of the closet.

"Everyone. Emergency meeting, under the bed," she announced, and disappeared under the bed before Woody could ask her any questions about the whirlwind that had just hit Amber's room.

When all the toys were settled, Lottie took a deep breath.

"Okay. Now I know we're all a bit shocked..."

"Shocked? You could say that!" Slinky called out, and Lottie shot him a glare that said _'don't interrupt me'._ Slinky subsided, now muted, and Lottie continued.

"I know no toy was expecting that, and I want to reassure everyone. Zeke did not mean what he said about wrecking the whole room." There was a murmur of assent amongst the toys, and Woody, sitting amongst some braying Little Ponies, suddenly spoke up.

"Lottie? Who _is_ Zeke?" It was a question he'd waited for an answer to the last hour. Every eye in the room turned on the cowboy doll, who looked at a wide eyed Lottie. She swallowed hard as the eyes on Woody turned back to her.

"I...I..." she stammered for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Zeke is Amber's father."

"Really? That monster?" Buttercup said incredulously. Lottie flicked her gaze to the unicorn, but made no comment to this statement.

"What's he doing barging in here threatening violence for?" asked Dolly, "I thought parents were supposed to love their children!"

"He does." Lottie said stiffly. "Now no more talk about who Zeke is, please."

The atmosphere tensed at Lottie's words. Woody dared break it.

"Why?"

The single word sent another ripple through the room. Lottie bit her lip and stared at the cowboy doll again. She didn't say anything. The newer toys glanced at each other. Woody was about to say something further to add to his simple question but he was overridden by the angry voice of someone else. To his surprise, and everyone else's, Rochelle was on her feet and striding towards Lottie.

"I've had enough of this sweet little Raggedy Ann business, Patchwork Peggy," she snapped. "I've had enough of being treated like a dumb blonde. What the hell is going on in this room?"

"Nothing's going on." Lottie said simply.

"Nothing, huh? Then why don't you try explaining the fact that a Barbie doll got her head snapped off by Amber at her old house."

"Yeah. She broke a Barbie. Big deal." Lottie said with a cool giggle. "Amber has a million Barbies!" She gestured at the collection of Barbie's sitting nearby, who were looking uncomfortable for some reason.

"So how come that Barbie has some friends in storage in the garage?" Rochelle countered, and the Barbies now gasped.

Lottie recoiled. "So Amber put some toys into storage! She isn't the first kid to do that," she said defensively.

"Is that true?" Dolly asked. "She put some toys into storage after the accident with the Barbie?"

"Yes." Lottie admitted grudgingly. "But you've got a hell of a stretch going on connecting what happens to toys in this room to those in the storage area." She turned her attention on Rochelle.

"No, she doesnt." The male voice made everyone look around. Rochelle turned too, recognising the voice that usually made her go limp with desire. However, oddly, on this occasion, it made her perk up.

_"Blaine!"_ She thought, seeing the male doll coming her way. Everyone was looking at him, especially the Barbies sitting in the group nearby, they were squealing silently to each other and gazing in rapture at the fine specimen of doll walking through the crowd.

Blaine stopped next to Rochelle. "I'm so glad I found you. We heard the commotion from downstairs. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rochelle melted under his gaze, and he grinned.

"Good." He looked at Lottie. "I take it you haven't taken charge of telling the new toys what the situation is up here?"

Lottie, who had been watching Blaine interact with Rochelle, smirked. "So, you found your way up from the garage, did you?"

"Yeah. You should try living down there Lottie. Might make you grateful for what you have!" Blaine retorted. He looked back at Rochelle. "Teresa said you came by."

"Yeah," Rochelle looked down at her hands. "I heard you and Summer arguing about me."

Blaine's face flushed. "Oh! What...what did you hear?"

"Something about you needing to tell me...something." Rochelle said lamely. She looked up. "What is it, Blaine?"

Blaine cast a look at the dozens of other toys watching their conversation. "I don't know that this is the place, Rochelle."

"It's personal?"

"Sort of."

"It's not about your little relationship with Popstar Barbie, is it?" Rochelle hedged, and an audible gasp came from the Barbie section.

Blaine coughed. "Well, now you mention it, yes...and no."

"Yes and no?" Rochelle asked, putting her hand on his chest. It felt good under her plastic skin. Warm, inviting, and touchable. She shivered. But it seemed to do the trick. Blaine relented.

"It's to do with how she lost her...how she got broken," he choked out.

"No, Blaine," Lottie hissed, but he ignored her.

"Popstar Barbie was broken at one of Amber's play sessions." The words came out of the male doll's mouth very fast.

Another ripple ran through the room. In the middle of it, Buzz, sitting next to Jessie, suddenly reached for the cowgirl's hand, and she squeezed it in return. Woody cast a glance across at the pair of toys near him, seeing the sudden touch.

"What are these play sessions everyone keeps referring to," Woody asked, getting to his feet. No more Mr Nice Cowboy. He looked at Lottie, but it was Blaine who stepped in.

"The play sessions are therapy sessions. Didn't you know? Amber's undergoing counselling for the way her father used to treat her when she was younger."

There was a shocked silence. Lottie took a step back.

"But wait. Amber can't be a spiteful child. She seems so happy. She gave Bullseye, Jessie and me new names," Woody remarked, and Blaine nodded.

"She's not spiteful in the slightest. She wouldn't hurt a fly. She's just very mixed up." He paused and placed a hand over Rochelle's which was still resting on his chest.

"Amber goes to play therapy and she's encouraged to take toys with her, and draw pictures." He started, the toys in the room now paying attention completely. "The way she draws and interacts is monitored by a psychologist, who then interprets how the child is feeling."

"So what happened the day Barbie was broken?" Rochelle prompted gently.

"It was awful." Blaine shut his eyes. "It was a few weeks after the incident was reported and Amber was advised to attend counselling. She took Popstar Barbie and me to the doctors with her. She was playing with us ever so normally, and then she suddenly put me on top of Barbie and made us rub together." He dropped Rochelle's hand and covered his face.

"It's okay," Rochelle soothed, despite her own shock increasing, "Go on."

"Well, after she was done...with that...she picked up Barbie, shouted, I hate you!...and ripped her head clean off." Blaine shuddered and choked back a sob.

Rochelles eyes widened, as Dolly realised what had happened.

"So Barbie...was supposed to portray Amber...and you...were supposed to be...?"

"Her father. Yes." Blaine wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Amber hated herself for ages after that. When she moved from her house to her cousin's house she took one look at me and the band set I was in, and put us into a storage box."

This was a lot for the toys to digest in so short a space of time. Woody looked across at Lottie to see her reaction.

But she wasn't there.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	15. Unfond Memories

**Chapter Fifteen – Unfond Memories**

"Where'd she go?" Woody asked, looking all around at the other toys. The rest of them suddenly noticed Lottie was missing.

Dolly scratched her head. "She can't have gone far. There's only so many places a toy can hide."

"We better spread out and look for her. I don't want her doing anything stupid," Woody took charge.

While the cowboy was organising the search parties, Blaine only had ears and eyes for Rochelle. He took both of her hands in his.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out what happened this way." He said apologetically.

Rochelle fluttered her lashes at him. "It's fine. At least now I know what went on." She said softly. "And now I know how you feel about me."

Blaine was quite taken aback. "What do you mean?" He asked, dropping her hands, and she tittered with laughter.

"I heard you say to Summer that you liked my voice and want me to join the band."

"Oh!" Blaine looked relieved.

"You thought I was going to declare undying love to you, didn't you?" She ribbed him, and he chuckled nervously.

"For a moment, I was worried. I have a career to get back off the floor of the garage," he went to say something else but Rochelle was struck by his words.

"The garage!" She gasped, and grabbed his hand. "We have to get down there!"

"But wh-"Blaine was cut off as Rochelle pulled him towards the wall on the other side of the bed. It was swung wide open. Rochelle started to clamber inside, and Blaine followed her.

* * *

When they got to the garage vent, they could hear Teresa and Summer's voices from behind the dollhouse. It sounded like a full flung argument was going on. Then Teresa yelled out "get out of here!" and there was a eerie silence.

Blaine hopped out of the vent and motioned for Rochelle to stay put, and he walked off towards the other side of the garage. Rochelle glared after his retreating back, and clambered out of the vent to follow him. Quietly she picked her way through the garage after Blaine, straining her ears to hear something, anything...until she kicked a remote control lying on the floor.

"Ow!" She muttered, rubbing her shin. The kick, however, had made an echoed noise in the garage, and there was an ominous silence. Blaine was back at her side in a flash.

"I told you to stay put," he muttered, and she gave him another glare; to his face this time.

"I'm not some wimpy Barbie you have to protect." She whispered, and he gave her a wry smile.

"I can see that," he whispered back.

"So. Come back to join your band mates, have you Blaine?"

Both Rochelle and Blaine himself turned to see Lottie standing on the other side of the doll house.

"Thought I'd come down, as you told me to. Remember, I wouldn't know what I was missing?" Lottie gestured around. "In fact, you know what? This is where I was supposed to be years ago."

Rochelle blinked. "No toy belongs in storage, Lottie."

"I do!" Lottie cried vehemently, looking at Rochelle. "I should have been here right after it happened, along with these dolls!" She gestured to Summer and Teresa, who were walking out behind her.

"Summer! Teresa!" Blaine gasped, and rushed forward to hug them both. "You're alright!"

"We're fine, numbskull," Summer groaned, pushing her brother off her. "Just trying to work out what this patchwork freak is doing down here. She won't leave!"

Rochelle was watching the whole scene, trying to figure out all the riddles jumbled in her small brain. She looked at Lottie, a brainwave occurring. "Wait a minute. Amber put the band into the storage because they reminded her of what happened? So by that default...you should have been put into storage for the same reason?"

Lottie shivered, and Rochelle knew she was right.

"Lottie! You haven't told the playroom toys what you saw?" Summer gasped, and Lottie shot her a look. Summer, unduly silenced for a change, took a half step back.

"No. I haven't. That's my burden to bear." Lottie said, raising her chin.

"What...what did you see?" Rochelle hesitated on asking the question.

"I...I..."

'_Oh great, back to the stammering again,'_ Rochelle rolled her eyes. "Just tell me."

"Either you tell her, Lottie, or I will," Blaine said, in an effort to intimidate Lottie to tell the truth.

"I...I don't want to remember it..." Lottie covered her face with her hands. "Please just leave me alone."

"No," Rochelle said bluntly.

"No. That's not what I said. That's what she said." Lottie said, her voice breaking.

Rochelle looked at Lottie, a question forming in her eyes.

"She said, please just leave me alone." Lottie repeated.

"Amber?" Rochelle asked quietly. Lottie nodded.

"You need to tell everyone." Summer chanced another sentence, and this time Lottie didn't glare at her.

"But how can I? They hate me for keeping it so quiet. Not even Amber's old toys know the full story." Lottie despaired, and Rochelle shook her head.

"You know they're looking for you upstairs, right?"

"I don't know why." Lottie covered her face.

"Because they're worried about you."

"No they're not. They just want a scapegoat to blame for the whole situation," Lottie's mood wasn't changing.

"I'm sure that's not true, Lottie," Blaine stepped forward. "If Amber blamed you, why would she keep you around upstairs?"

Lottie had no answer for this. Rochelle grabbed the patchwork dolls hand and tugged. "C'mon Annie. Time to go home."

* * *

It took Rochelle and Blaine fifteen minutes to coax Lottie back into the vent and back up to Amber's room.

When they finally stepped into the room Dolly rushed over to them from next to the night stand. "Lottie! There you are! We were so worried!"

Lottie stared at Dolly, unsure what to say. Rochelle, flanking Lottie on the other side, nudged the patchwork doll. "Go on."

Lottie glanced around at Rochelle then back to Dolly, her voice trembling. "Dolly, would you mind gathering all the toys for another meeting?"

"Not at all!" Dolly was more than happy to oblige. "I'll get Woody to help." She scurried off, and Rochelle escorted Lottie under the bed again.

"I can't do this," Lottie wailed, as Blaine pushed over a small stack of books for her to sit on.

"Yes you can," Rochelle tried to sound convincing. _How had she managed to keep a straight face earlier over Blaine and that undying love thing again? _She frowned to herself as the toys began to re-assemble in front of them again.

* * *

_Note: Sorry about the weak dialogue. Trying to make this a filler chapter and keep the suspense going lol._


	16. Lottie's Story

**Chapter Sixteen – Lottie's Story**

With all the toys clustered around her, Lottie felt even more scared than before.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered to Rochelle.

Rochelle grinned. "Pity toys don't have normal bodily functions, otherwise I'd believe you."

Lottie grumbled to herself at this. Since when did Ms Blonde get so clever? She wanted to just go to the window and stare out and dream like she always did when she got thoughtful about the past. And with so many questions being thrown at her and so many faces looking at her, trying to delve into her past, she had been doing that more and more. Sometimes she'd be doing something else and her brain would just shift...back to that night...

"Yo, Peggy!" Rochelle waved a hand in front of the dolls face. "We're waiting on you."

Lottie clicked back to reality and found dozens of faces staring at her – Little Ponies, Barbie's, Beanie Babies, stuffed animals, and then the nine new toys in amongst them. She gave another shudder.

"I can't."

"You can. Pretend it's one of Amber's play sessions," Blaine said softly, and Lottie threw him a look. Not a spiteful look, or a glare, but one of thanks.

"Well..." she started hesitantly, and every toy immediately hung onto her words. And once the patchwork doll started talking, she didn't think she could stop.

* * *

"It was dark the night it happened. It was about five days before Amber's seventh birthday, and her father, who had just been fired a few weeks previous due to the economy crash, had been out drinking. He used to work in finance, but all the problems with the banking side of society meant the company had to get rid of some people."

"When he came back home from drinking, it was late at night. I heard the door shut loudly downstairs, and didn't think anything of it. All the other toys were asleep, and they weren't disturbed by the slam. "

"I was sitting on the top of the pillow watching Amber's chest rise and fall with each breath she took. Usually she would take me to bed, as I was her favourite toy to cuddle, but that was the day she'd gotten her shots, so her arm was painful and she couldn't move it enough to cuddle me. "

"Anyway, I was on the top of the pillow, and I could see out of the window. There was no moon; the only light in the room was that coming from the streetlamp across the way. I heard the footsteps come up the stairs, and I expected them to pass the door, but for some reason they stopped outside the door. Then the door opened, and I froze in place."

"I was wondering if I had been correct for a while, had it really been Amber's father, or had it been a burglar? I allowed my head to flop slightly to the side, looking more closely, and realised my assumption had been right. It was Zeke – Amber's father. I wondered what he was doing standing there in the doorway. He should have been in bed, sleeping off the drink."

"As I watched, he came over to the bed, and knelt down besides it. I thought he couldn't be that drunk, I thought he'd come to kiss Amber goodnight. And he did, he kissed her on the cheek. Then I noticed his hands were tugging at the blankets. He was putting his hands under the blankets...she was squirming as he made her wake up with his touch.

"I don't know if he intended to wake her up that first time." Lottie shuddered. "While it was going on, he told her she'd like it, that he was her daddy and wasn't going to hurt her. I could tell the way she was being touched, and I knew she _didn't _like it. She told him to leave her alone, but he wouldn't. He told her not to tell anyone, and she was scared of him. She used to whisper to me that she was terrified, and would clutch me to her chest while he touched her."

"Night after night he'd come into the room, drunk most times, and he'd touch her. Until the day she was asleep with me in her arms, and the door swung open more slowly than usual. I watched him come closer, the way he did every night. But on that occasion, and the ones after it, he picked me up, and flung me onto the floor out of the way. I heard the bed creak, and watched him climb on, powerless to stop him. I heard her cry out, saw him cover her mouth."

* * *

Lottie broke off, and covered her face, her body racking with sobs. Everyone stared, comprehending the situation immediately.

"How long for?" Dolly asked quietly.

"About another six months." Lottie responded, rubbing her nose.

There was an angry murmur amongst the toys.

Dolly spoke up again. "And you were the only one to see all of this?"

Lottie nodded. "I've carried that memory with me – and more that I saw him do - ever since."

The toys, now subdued by this confession, were bristling and talking amongst themselves.

"But he can't have got away with it," Jessie said indignantly from the crowd, and Lottie shook her head at this.

"No. Amber let something slip one day – I think her mother said her Daddy would be home early for a change so they could all play together, and Amber said she didn't want to play with her Daddy anymore. Naturally, her mother latched onto the sentence. I forget what she said at the time to Amber. But it was enough for her to come upstairs and start packing us all into boxes. Then she piled all Amber's things into the boot of the car and brought us all here."

"Of course, Amber hated the sight of me by this time. When we first got here, she pushed me onto the window seat and asked me why I hadn't stopped him. What could I say? I'm just a patchwork doll."

"Amber's mother came by a few weeks later, and we heard her telling Amber that her Daddy had gone to a place for bad people. Amber started counselling a few days later."

As Lottie trailed off, the toys were still whispering amongst themselves. Dolly rose gracefully from the crowd, noticing Lottie was fret with nerves now, and stumbled over to relieve Rochelle of her duty.

"Come on doll." She said to Lottie, putting a short stuffed arm around the patchwork doll's shoulders. "Let's get you back over to the window seat."

* * *

"That's despicable," Woody raged over Lottie's predicament as Dolly led her away. He'd hate to think of anyone hurting his own cloth and stuffing.

He glanced at Jessie with Buzz. Not that Buzz would ever physically hurt Jessie that way...he shuddered. But it was bringing another thought foremost in his mind. What had happened to Jessie and Buzz in the play sessions? They didn't appear harmed in any way, but what with Popstar Barbie losing her head, and all this molestation talk...was his sister unscathed? And how was his best friend feeling?


	17. Spacestud

**Chapter Seventeen - Spacestud**

_Note: Sorry so short! Saving the good stuff for a little later!_

* * *

As the toys disbanded to go back to their places for the night, aware that Amber would be home soon from dinner with her mother, Woody caught hold of Buzz.

"Can I have a word?" he asked the spacetoy, and Buzz shrugged. Jessie, about three paces ahead, glanced over her shoulder.

"Go on," Buzz motioned to her to keep walking. "I won't be long." Jessie nodded dutifully and scaled the side of the bed. Buzz turned back to Woody.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to check that you two are okay." Woody said, a concerned note in his voice.

"Jessie and me? Yeah, we're fine. Why?" Buzz raised an eyebrow.

"Because we all know now what those play sessions are really about."

Buzz looked at the floor. Woody waited until his friend regained his composure.

"Woody, it's just one of those things that are best left unsaid," Buzz stalled, and Woody laughed.

"C'mon Buzz. We've been friends for years. There is nothing you can't tell me. And if things are patchy between you and Jessie, well shucks spaceman...you've gotten through worse."

"Except all that seems to be happening at the moment is that we're not really sure of ourselves anymore," Buzz replied, and Woody looked at him.

"How do you mean?"

"Well...there's been a lot of 'developments' in our relationship, shall we say."

Woody suddenly felt the puzzle pieces click together in his head. "You mean you and Jessie...at the play sessions...Amber did the same things with you as she did with Barbie and Blaine?"

Buzz nodded, and Woody coughed. "Wow...Buzz...I don't know what to say...except, was it good?"

"No!" Buzz retorted hotly, then cleared his throat. "Well, I mean, yes, it was good, not exactly how I pictured it, but..."

"You've pictured it?" Woody snorted, and Buzz glared at him.

"Would you give over?" He snapped, but Woody was laughing at this point.

"It should make me cringe, but now I know I can call you spacestud." He chortled, and Buzz rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on Woody. She only did it twice."

"Twice?" Woody continued to laugh.

"Yeah, once when we first got here, and once at the play session - that first time was the time I realised how I really felt about Jessie."

Woody stopped laughing. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, I realise how I feel about Jessie, Woody. I love her."

Woody suddenly felt as if he had Lottie's non speaking disease. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Buzz filled the silence.

"Jessie was talking to me about us being parted from each other before we left Bonnie's, and it set me thinking enough to tell her how I really felt, after Amber did what she did with us. She didn't return the feeling...she seems to have a problem telling me how she feels. I was angry at first, but now I'm fine with it. If I have to wait till infinity for her to say it, I'll wait."

Woody was staggered at Buzz's speech. What could a cowboy say to that?

* * *

That night, Amber returned to the room to find her toys all in place. When she went to her bookcase to pull out a book for her mother to read to her, she found Blaine sitting with Rochelle.

She squealed and picked him up. "I'd forgotten about you!" She laughed, grabbing Rochelle too. "I used to have a whole band!" She said to the blonde haired doll, then thought for a moment. "But I broke my Barbie." Her face clouded over, then she looked to get an idea in her head. "I know. You can replace Barbie!" She said cheerfully, and ran over to the dresser to switch on her stereo.

As the music blasted from the stereo, Amber sat on the floor, and made both Rochelle and Blaine dance together. As she played, the doorway was clouded by a shadow, and the little girl looked around to see her cousin and mom in the doorway.

"Lookit, Mommy! Cousin Shelly, look, Blaine's got a new friend! And he's nice to her too!"

She made Blaine cuddle Rochelle. "And look, Buzz loves Babs too," she pointed to the bed where Buzz and Jessie were sitting close together. "He wouldn't hurt her at all. Not like Daddy did me."

At the doorway, the two women shared a wistful glance, and then Amber's mother said, "Come on Amber, time for you to change and brush your teeth for bed."

"Mommy?" Amber asked, as she got up to put Rochelle and Blaine back on the bookcase, "Tomorrow, can we find my band set for my Barbies out of the garage?"

The women in the doorway shared another look. "Really, sweetheart?" asked the elder of the two, and Amber nodded.

"I wanna play with my Popstar Barbie set."

Her mother smiled at this. "I'm sure we can arrange that, sweetie. Maybe we can find out the clothes for your Barbies too, would you like that?"

"Yesh!" Amber lisped, tugging on her nightshirt, and following her mother and cousin out of the room to clean her teeth.

On the bookcase, Rochelle squeezed Blaine's hand. "Looks like you're back headlining this room again," she whispered.

"Couldn't have done it without you, poppet." Blaine smiled back at her.


	18. All The Colours of the Rainbow

**Chapter Eighteen – All the Colours of the Rainbow**

"Guys, wake up! There's a yard sale outside!" Lottie's cries the next morning startled all the toys from what they were doing. They all immediately clamoured around the window, several of the Beanie Babies standing on each other's shoulders.

Amber's cousin Shelly was nailing a sign down in the front yard, and there were boxes piled all over the lawn. Lottie swallowed. "This is it. I'm done for. Amber's going to sell me!"

"You don't know that," came the comforting voice of Dolly from over her shoulder, and Lottie trembled.

"I can feel it in my stuffing, Dolly. It's time I said my goodbyes," Lottie said miserably.

As the toys continued to watch the goings on, the sound of footsteps on the stairs made them all jump.

"Quick, back to places, everyone," Dolly called and the toys scrambled back into positions. Dolly flopped back down next to Lottie on the window seat.

The door opened and cousin Shelly entered with a box. She picked up some of the board games off the dresser, then took some of the smaller stuffed toys from a shelf. She then started to empty the bookshelves of some of Amber's old books, leaving a large gap on the middle shelf. She went back out of the room, and all the toys breathed a sigh of relief.

Lottie was shaking on the window seat. "She didn't take me," she whispered, and Dolly nodded.

"See, I told you not to be afraid."

Just as it seemed safe to move however, the running footsteps on the stairs made all the toys freeze again. Lottie gulped as the door swung open and Amber ran in, accompanied by her mother, who was carrying a box. She set the box down on the floor.

"I can't believe you found them, Mommy," Amber said joyfully, and then she looked around. "Where's Lottie?"

'_Oh no,' _Dolly thought, afraid for her companion suddenly. Amber had spotted Lottie and was coming over to pick her up. She tossed the patchwork ragdoll into her arms and hugged her, as her mother started to unpack the box. Out came a plastic stage, which she placed on the half empty bookcase shelf, and on this she placed the band's instruments, followed by Summer and Teresa. Then she took out two bags, one of which she placed with the band set on the shelf, and the other she handed to Amber.

"Here you go sweetie. Now remember, no drawing on the walls in the kitchen."

"Okay, Mommy." Amber took the bag her mother handed her, and followed her mother out of the room, clutching the bag in one hand, and Lottie in the other.

When the door closed, Dolly sat up. "No. Poor Lottie," she breathed, and around the room she heard the other toys commiserating over the loss of the patchwork doll.

* * *

That evening, when no one returned anything to the room, the toys were consoling each other over the absence of the patchwork doll who had been their leader for the last few years.

Dolly, in particular, was sad. She didn't think Lottie was a bad toy. Who could? She looked to Woody for comfort, but the cowboy doll was equally downcast about Lottie being taken too.

"I guess we should make sure we're there for Amber when she comes up," he confided to Dolly. "And if you like, we'll see about taking charge in Lottie's absence. It seems like the least we can do."

Dolly nodded solemnly. "That sounds like a good idea. We'll discuss it in the morning, sheriff." She punched him playfully, but her enthusiasm was lacking in the punch, so it was more like a tap on his arm.

Woody gave her a small nod and returned to the bed to sit with Jessie and Buzz. He wondered how his sister was doing. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her, since his conversation with Buzz. He didn't have long to ponder this, for the door opened shortly and Amber threw herself into the room. She was clutching the bag her mother had given her earlier, and she tipped it now upside down on the bed. Out fell a collection of doll clothes, felt tips, and a bundle of rag.

She picked up the rag bundle, squealed in joy, and ran over to the window, placing the rags down on the pillow next to Dolly. She left the window seat and started to push the clothes into her nightstand drawer, and then collected the felt tips in her arms.

"Mommy! I got the felt tips," she called, running out of the room.

Everyone sat up and looked across at the window.

There, sitting next to a very surprised Dolly, sat Lottie. Instead of her blue and white plaid dress, she wore a dark blue dress with white polka dots over it. She wore her white socks and blue shoes as before, but her bonnet was gone now. Her hair, once before yellow as corn, was now all different colours – blue, red and green mixed in with the yellow.

And she had the biggest smile on her face.

* * *

_Note: New Lottie is based on this magnet I have :) (remove spaces)_

http: / img. photobucket. com/ albums/ v439/ layoutsarekool/ lottieredone. jpg


	19. Take Me Tonight

**Chapter Nineteen – Take Me Tonight**

_The song used in this chapter is Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." Currently my song of the moment, given what I'm going to use it for a lead up to... _

* * *

"Didn't she do a fabulous job on my hair?" Lottie gasped, proudly swinging her new yarn hair wildly from side to side.

"How did she ever manage it?" Dolly wondered aloud. "That child must have some patience!"

"Oh, her mother helped her. Turns out the pens she used weren't really felt tips, they're permanent fabric markers." Lottie swooshed her hair again and Dolly laughed.

"So she basically coloured in your hair?"

"Yeah. And turns out in the garage, when they were clearing out, they found all these dresses I came with! Even I'd forgotten I could look so nice!" Lottie giggled, plucking at her polka dotted dress, her good mood restored. "I feel brand new!"

"You look it too," commented Woody with a smile. It was so lovely to see Lottie with a big smile on her face. Lottie blushed.

"Thanks, cowboy." She fidgeted. "I hear the band's going to be playing tonight to celebrate my return?"

"Yeah," Woody grinned, "They're warming up now, bizarrely enough, they chose to rehearse in the garage."

"I guess old habits die hard," Lottie said softly, the smile still on her face.

* * *

Up on the bed, Jessie was sitting with Buzz, watching the goings on. She'd seen Blaine towing Rochelle and the other two, complete with instruments, under the bed so they could go via the vent to the garage for rehearsal. And now there was Lottie, brightly coloured and merry, sitting on the windowsill, completely transformed.

"Seems like everyone got what they wanted," Buzz commented, and she flashed him a look.

"Oh, I didn't mean -" he started, and she gave him a tender look.

"I know Buzz. I know. Except you." She made a little sound that seemed like a sigh.

Neither of them said anything, but she reached over and took his hand. Buzz glanced down at their hands together and then up at her face. It seemed like forever since she'd held his hand. He knew it couldn't be that long, though.

Jessie moved closer, and kissed his cheek. He knew the last time she'd kissed him. It was the day he'd told her how he truly felt about her. Otherwise, the only thing they had 'participated' in as far as their relationship was concerned, was the intimate nature of the play sessions Amber had set up for them.

As Jessie drew back from him, he studied her face, but she wasn't giving anything away. Her attention was focused on Lottie by the window, who was tossing her hair and flouncing for the audience gathering by the window to chorus over how good she looked.

* * *

That evening, it was fortunate Shelly and her boyfriend Thomas (so the toys had learned from Lottie) had been invited to a social gathering with Thomas' work, and they had extended the invitation to include Amber's mother. By default, they had hired a babysitter who came round to pick up Amber and took her off to her own house.

So the toys were alone, and free to party. Rochelle was nervous, warming up every five minutes, and the band, who hadn't played together for a year, except for the one time the day previous, were constantly checking and re checking all the sounds from their instruments were perfect.

The bag that Amber's mother had left with the staging turned out to be a bag of Barbie clothes, and so they had all changed for the performance. To Rochelle's surprise, she was about the right size for the Barbie clothes that had been found, so she had been able to change her outfit as well.

Tonight she was wearing a black shirt; open at the neck to show a gold pendant around her neck, and white trousers with a red stripe down them. Her long blonde hair had been brushed till it shone and hung around and over her shoulders.

Blaine, on the other hand, was dressed much more simply. He had sunglasses pushed up to hold his blonde tousled locks in place, and he was wearing a white vest shirt that showed off his muscles (and made Rochelle simper into the bargain whenever she looked at him for too long) and a pair of faded, ripped-in-all-the-right-places denim jeans.

Teresa had stuck with her usual kind of look – tonight she had her long black hair loose and she was wearing a pair of dark, almost stonewashed turn-up three quarter length trousers, and a sparkly purple halter top.

But it was Summer who was really striking. She'd curled her long ginger hair painstakingly and had opted to wear a dress dotted with strawberries, complete with plunging neckline and an orange belt, that pulled the dress in to show off her figure.

* * *

When the band finally took the stage that night, the toys clustered for the party and applauded them. Standing at the back, watching over the events, stood Jessie. She was watching and waiting for Buzz. There was going to be music, and she wanted to dance with him later on.

She noticed Lottie standing with Dolly and Woody, and thought it funny that the three leaders should be so close now over what had happened. Well at least it would keep Woody from poking his nose into her business tonight. No, Jessie didn't want him knowing what had gone on.

She blushed at the thought of the twists in her relationship with Buzz the last few days. First Amber made them...do things, and then Buzz told her he loved her. Then he had been a moron in the satchel, and then in the play session...when Amber had laid them down, she had been very gentle when she made them rub together. Jessie felt her cloth skin prickle at the mere memory. After the session, Buzz had clammed up on the way home. No doubt he didn't want a repeat of the first time. But the second time had been so much more tender. Almost as if Amber was aware.

Jessie snapped out of her considerations as Buzz joined her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She bumped him with her hip affectionately, and he looked surprised. "Uh, hi?"

"Hi." She threw him a look that Buzz couldn't perceive, but it looked mischievous.

"Did you glue my helmet open?" He asked and she laughed shortly and shook her head.

"No. Ooh, look, they're starting up."

One of the Beanie Babies had turned the dimmer switch on the light down, so there was a faint spotlight of sorts on the middle of the floor in front of the bookcase.

Rochelle stepped up to the mic, her face flushed with nervousness still.

"Er, h...hi everyone," she stammered out, aware many pairs of eyes were watching her. "J...just a little er...thanks...thank you to everyone for joining us tonight...not like you have a choice, ha ha." She paused and looked across at Blaine, who gestured to her to carry on.

"Without further ado, then...this is our version of the song _Teenage Dream_. Please feel free to fill the dance floor!" Rochelle stated, and coughed, clearing her throat several times.

She took a half step back, as her guitar backup from Blaine started, then started up into the mic. Her singing soft and seductive.

_You think I'm pretty, without any make-up on__  
__You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch line wrong__  
__I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down_  
_Before you met me, I was alright__  
__But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life, __  
__Now every February, you'll be my valentine, valentine._

Jessie gently put one arm around Buzz's back, and he returned it, hugging the cowgirl doll to his side. She leaned against his shoulder and whispered in his ear as the music continued.

_Let's go all the way tonight__  
__No regrets, just love__  
__We can dance until we die__  
__You and I__, w__e'll be young forever_

Up on the stage Rochelle was singing her heart out. She glanced across at Blaine and gave him a big smile as she continued to sing, working her heart out just for him.

_You make me__, f__eel like__I'm living a teenage dream__  
__The way you turn me on__  
__I can't sleep, let's run away__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back_  
_My heart stops, when you look at me__  
__Just one touch, now baby I believe__  
__This is real, so take a chance__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back__  
_

Buzz's cheeks flushed bright red at Jessie's words. He looked at her, clearing his throat over and over, rapidly, nervously, as her sincere green eyes met his. "Yes, Buzz. I mean it." she whispered, a response to his unspoken question.

_We drove to Cali, and got drunk on the beach__  
__Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets__  
__I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece__  
__I'm complete_  
_Let's go all the way tonight__  
__No regrets, just love__  
__We can dance until we die__  
__You and I__, w__e'll be young forever__  
_

Rochelle had never been more in her element. She watched as the toys below started to dance along to the song, and felt inspired to start dancing too. Without really thinking about it her hips started to sway as she plucked the microphone out of the microphone stand and kept right on singing.

_You make me__, f__eel like __I'm living a teenage dream__  
__The way you turn me on__  
__I can't sleep, let's run away__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back _  
_My heart stops, when you look at me__  
__Just one touch, now baby I believe__  
__This is real, so take a chance__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back_

"Come on Buzz. I know somewhere we can go. Someplace more private," Jessie whispered, dropping her arm from around him to place it into his hand. Buzz looked at her, and suddenly saw what the expression he hadn't been able to figure out was. It wasn't mischievous in the slightest. It was a look of passion. He swallowed. Was she thinking what he thought she was?

_I might get your heart racing__ i__n my skin-tight jeans__  
__Be your teenage dream tonight__  
__Let you put your hands on me, in my skin-tight jeans__  
__Be your teenage dream tonight_

In the instrumental, Rochelle listened to the band play, seeing now that even more toys had joined the throng on the dance floor. In the midst of it, she noticed Woody had grabbed Lottie and was spinning the patchwork doll around the floor, and Dolly was dancing nearby with them. What a perfect end to Lottie's situation, Rochelle thought. _But not as perfect as mine,_ she giggled to herself as she blasted out the end of the song into the microphone under her mouth.

_You make me__, f__eel like__I'm living a teenage dream__  
__The way you turn me on__  
__I can't sleep, let's run away__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back_

_My heart stops, when you look at me__  
__Just one touch, now baby I believe__  
__This is real, so take a chance__  
__And don't ever look back, don't ever look back__  
_

"You're so beautiful," Buzz whispered, as Jessie drew him outside the room, the music blasting out through the door behind them. His words were cut off by the anxious kiss of the cowgirl as she wrapped her arms firmly around him. "I'm always going to be yours," she whispered into the kiss, and he melted like putty in her arms. His hands slid down Jessie's back, pulling her more forcefully into his arms as he deepened the kiss.

_ I might get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans__  
__Be your teenage dream tonight__  
__Let you put your hands on me__  
__In my skin-tight jeans__  
__Be your teenage dream tonight_

"I want you," he uttered softly, and she responded, "And you have me. Take me tonight, Buzz."

* * *

**Ooh la la ;-)**


	20. Hit By Lightening

**Chapter Twenty – Hit By Lightening**

_Rating changed for this story to M, due to the content of this chapter. You have been warned!

* * *

_

They finally stopped kissing as the music changed, and Jessie broke away from Buzz's embrace. "C'mon Buzz. I was looking around earlier when Amber went out and I found this place down here." She pulled Buzz along the hallway to a small room just beyond Amber's, and pushed the door open a crack, peering inside cautiously. "Okay, coast is clear," she announced, hopping into the room.

"Er...Jessie?" Buzz asked, awkwardly following her. "What are we doing again?"

"Nothing...yet." Jessie winked. "C'mon, up here, Buzz," she started to climb up the side of a large armchair sitting in the corner of the room. Buzz took a look around at the room Jessie had brought him inside. It appeared to be a small spare bedroom. There was a bed, a dresser, a few random belonging strewn across it, and then the armchair.

"Buzz," Jessie called from the seat of the armchair, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you coming to spend some time with me, or what?"

"Er, yeah," Buzz responded, starting to pull himself up to the seat of the chair. He wondered what Jessie had in mind. When he got to the seat of the chair he hopped to the level surface and raised a eyebrow. She didn't appear to be anywhere to be seen.

"Uh, Jessie?" Buzz asked, scratching his head and looking around as if there were multiple hiding places on the seat of the chair.

"Won't be a minute." Her voice was muffled, and Buzz suddenly saw the cushion sitting in the chair. She must be behind that. _But why?_

His question was answered a few moments later, when Jessie stepped out from behind the cushion. She'd taken her hat off, and she laid it now on the arm of the chair. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, shimmering faintly in the soft light from the streetlamp outside, and he also noticed she was holding, rather than wearing, her boots. She put her boots down with the hat and walked across to him.

"Sit down, Buzz," she said, in the low seductive voice he'd heard her use before, and his brain could think of nothing to do but obey. As he sat, she came across to him, straddling his lap. Before he could speak, she pressed her lips to his hard. The kiss that resulted was unyielding and passionate.

When she did break away he whispered, "What's this for, Jessie?"

"Well. I thought if I couldn't tell you how I felt, I better show you. And this time, we're going to do it properly, without an audience, or a child moving us around." Jessie put her hands on Buzz's chest and pushed him back, and as she did so her hand slipped and hit the large button on the right panel of his chest. Buzz's wings popped open immediately, and they both jumped, blushing.

"Whoops," Jessie giggled, as Buzz hit the button again to make his wings go back in. "I guess you were pleased to see me again, huh?"

"Always," Buzz whispered, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her collarbone, running his hands up and down her back as she shivered in his arms. She pressed herself against his body, savouring the feel of his lips on her skin. Her bare foot, which was pressing against Buzz's leg, began to tease him by moving in circles, and she felt him shiver against her as well.

"You like that?" She smiled, and he nodded, letting out a little moan. She continued to tease him in this way, letting her foot run up and down the inside of his leg, several times over.

"Oh God, Jessie." It was unlike anything Buzz had ever experienced. He thought when Amber had rubbed him over Jessie in the play session, and on her bed that first day she discovered them, that it was good to touch Jessie in this way. But now, lying in the silent, almost dark room with her on top of him, it was so much more special. Her hair smelled so sweet, and her perfume, whatever it was, was intoxicating. He wanted to pull her so close, closer than physically possible, just consume her right there and then, totally, in every way imaginable.

Her kisses on his neck weren't helping these feelings either. As she continued to press against him, her foot rubbing his lower leg, her kisses raining down on his neck, he shifted in place rolling her over so they were lying side by side. He closed his legs so he trapped her foot gently between them, and pressed himself to her, lowering his hand over her thigh as she gasped at the unexpected touch.

"Buzz," she whispered, allowing his fingers to caress down the length of her thigh, until he got to her knee, and pulled her leg gently upwards, and so freeing it from between his legs, making her half straddle him again. With her in his position, he kissed her mouth, and she could feel him pressing closer to the area between her legs.

"Ooh Buzz, please," she whispered, knowing that for teasing him, he was going to return the favour. He ignored her for a few more moments, continuing to kiss her face and neck, then looked at her, deep into her eyes.

"You meant what you said earlier?" he whispered, and she nodded.

"Third time's the charm..." she breathed, and he pushed against her so she gasped.

"Buzz!" Her gasps rose as he continued to push against her, holding her delicately in his arms. He closed his eyes.

"Jessie." He whispered again, and she wrapped her arms around him too now, letting him push to her, holding herself in place in his arms, squirming as he found his mark every time.

"Buzz, don't stop, oh please don't stop," she gasped, tipping her head back against the soft cushion under her. She was almost holding her breath as he neared breaking point for both of them.

"I don't...intend to..." he panted, thrusting once more. The response was instant as she shuddered in his arms, biting her lip and crying out his name. He pushed a couple more times, until she felt his release too, and he softly moaned her name as she fell forward, resting her head on his chest now. He pulled away slightly, both of them attempting to catch their breath.

Jessie closed her eyes, wallowing in the feeling. It was like fireworks in her whole body. She'd never experienced anything as intense as that, not even when Amber had played with them.

She opened her eyes to see the space ranger looking at her, like she'd hit him with lightening, and emotions swirled up inside Jessie. She _did_ love him. She knew that now. She knew exactly what it felt like to completely belong to someone.

She was _his _Jessie.


	21. Broken

**Chapter Twenty One – Broken**

_Notes: First off, apologies for the delay in this chapter. I've had writers block - not the usual type, either! I've been ill recently with a bad headcold, so my concentration on anything fiction related has gone out of the window! I will endeavour to finish this story in the next day or so, tho...will probably be one final chapter after this. : - )_

_As for the songs in this chapter...Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand, and Broken by Seether ft Amy Lee. I dont own copyright, yada yada._

* * *

"Jessie?" Buzz whispered. They were lying together still, Buzz on his back and Jessie on her side, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, her finger lazily tracing the buttons on his chest.

"Mmm?" She answered, not moving an inch.

"The humans are going to be back soon. We should get back to the playroom."

"Few more minutes," Jessie mumbled, burying her face in his arm, and he chuckled faintly.

"The others are going to wonder why we aren't dancing either. It is a big night for that band of Amber's."

"It's a big night for us too," Jessie pointed out.

Buzz laughed and cuddled her. "I know...and I don't want to leave this spot either, but if someone walks in and spots us, they'll know the secret of us toys coming alive."

Jessie knew he was right. "But it's so cosy here with you," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him.

He returned her kiss fervently. "Well, we don't have to go just yet," he conceded, taking her in his arms and then deftly pulling her on top of him.

"And the cowgirl wins the rodeo again," she laughed, as she straddled him, leaning down for another kiss.

* * *

The beat of the music met their ears as they re entered the room later that night. By this point the whole room was alive with music and dancing. All the toys were gathered on the floor, and the band was still going strong.

Rochelle was not on the mic at the moment. In her place was Blaine, and he was belting out lyrics and standing next to him, tossing her hair and jamming out on her guitar, was Summer.

"_I say don't you know, _

_You say you don't know_

_I say...take me out!_

_I wink, this could die,_

_I wane, this could die_

_I want you, to take me out!"_

Jessie laughed and grabbed Buzz's hand, "C'mon spacestud, let's dance," she yelled over the music.

Buzz opened his eyes wide. "What did you call me?"

Jessie turned to grin at him. "Spacestud. I heard Woody call you it the other day."

"But..." Buzz started, and she laughed.

"I was only on the bed, Buzz. I wasn't a million moons away! I heard every word." Buzz blushed, as the cowgirl stepped closer. "And for the record, I liked the 'developments' very much indeed." she whispered shyly.

Buzz coughed at this. "Maybe...we should just dance." He was about to pull her onto the floor when he noticed the song previous had wound down and finished. There was a momentarily silence between the sets and the toys started chattering.

Woody appeared next to them, with Dolly in tow. "Hey howdy hey," he greeted them. "Havent seen much of you two tonight!"

"Oh," Jessie fidgeted, as Buzz put an arm around her waist. "We went out of the room to explore a bit. "

"Oh?" Woody didn't look convinced.

"Yeah." Jessie shifted in place. It wasn't a total lie, she thought, glancing around at Buzz, who flashed her a quick smile. The memory of him pressed against her in the next room found its way to the forefront of her mind and she blushed, smiling back at him. She looked back at Woody, who noted the blush and cleared his throat loudly.

"So...Dolly and me were going to dance. Are you two coming on the floor as well?" He asked, and Dolly linked arms with the cowboy doll at his words.

"Sure cowboy, meet you over there," Buzz said quickly, pulling Jessie away to the dancefloor with him, so Woody wouldn't be staring at her reddened cheeks.

As the space toy and cowgirl left, Woody turned his head to watch them go, a vague smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. If he didn't know better, he'd say Buzz had managed to tame Jessie's wild side somehow.

On his arm, Dolly sighed. "They make such a cute couple."

Woody glanced around at her. "Don't let my sister catch you calling her cute." He looked back over his shoulder. "However true it is," he added wistfully, watching his sister dancing with his best friend.

* * *

The hours ticked away, until finally it was time for Rochelle to address the crowd on the floor below her.

"Barbie's and gentletoys, we have LOVED playing for you tonight," she gestured around to the other three on stage with her, and Teresa waved her drumsticks in the air at this. "Unfortunately, it is time for us to stop playing now..."

"Awwwwww!" came the cry from below the blonde doll. She raised her arms for a moment, and the other toys shushed as she did this.

"...it is time for us to stop playing, as I said, but...we have time for one more song before we head off. This is for all of you out there who have someone special. Or maybe you made a new friend today. Either way, we would love to see you hit the floor one more time. From all of us, to all of you, goodnight room!"

Rochelle finished, as the toys clapped, and motioned to Blaine to start playing. It was Blaine, also, who stepped up to the microphone next to Rochelle, their shoulders touching. A slight blush crept over Rochelle's usually pale cheeks as he started to sing.

_I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away_

_I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Down on the floor Jessie had kicked off her boots again when the music had started, and let Buzz lead her out onto the floor. She was a little shorter now, making her come down to around Buzz's height. He pulled her into his arms as they started to sway.

Resting her head on Buzz's shoulder, Jessie looked around the room, noticing that some of the Beanie Babies had grouped together in twos to dance, and one of them had even swung Dolly out onto the floor.

To Jessie's surprise she then saw Woody dancing with Lottie. She thought back to when she'd always assumed the only girl she'd ever see him with would be Bo. She threw him a faint smile when he glanced over at her in Buzz's arms, and he nodded an acknowledgement at her.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

_You've gone away, you don't feel me here, anymore_

Jessie couldn't have imagined what she would have felt if it had been Buzz who had been taken, and not Bo. But, she reasoned, even if she didn't have Buzz, she'd always have Woody. He was her kin, and they'd never be parted again.

Even if, tonight, Buzz felt like her soul mate in every way.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again_

_I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away_

_There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Rochelle's melody seeped into Jessie's brain, and she turned her attention from everything to look up at the doll, clustered close to Blaine, who was strumming his guitar besides her.

Everything seemed to be working out for Rochelle too, Jessie thought – she'd found her place in a foreign toy room, almost without meaning for it all to happen the way it did. And she seemed so strong now, yet so shy in the presence of Blaine.

Rochelle had helped the male Barbie doll too, Jessie realised. She'd inadvertently warded off the bad luck for the band, had them restored to the toy room, and helped Lottie through her painful memories with Amber as well. Jessie rested her head back on Buzz's shoulder as the male and female doll dueted on the chorus.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough_

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

In the instrumental that followed, Jessie was snapped out of her thoughts as Buzz started to twirl her around to Summer's chords on her guitar. As the instrumental finished, the space toy pulled her back in close, looking into her eyes. Jessie felt herself falling for him again, just like all that time ago, as the lyrics in the background started up again, stronger now.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough_

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

Buzz let Jessie go out at arms' length again, holding her there as the chorus repeated, before twirling her again and tugging her back in close. Jessie could feel her heart beating fast, like the first time he'd ever danced with her. That had been just as magical as this time.

_Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

_You've gone away, you don't feel me here, anymore._

Jessie wrapped her arms around Buzz's neck as the final guitar solo finished, placing a soft kiss on his lips. As she drew back, she whispered, "I love you, Buzz Lightyear."


	22. Final Thoughts

**Chapter Twenty Two - Final Thoughts**

"So Jessie..." Woody started to say, as the two of them, plus Buzz and Bullseye, settled down on the bed to await Amber's return.

"Yes?" Jessie responded, curling up next to Buzz and turning large green eyes on her brother on the other side of her.

"Have you, I mean...Do you...Did you...have a good time tonight?" Try as he might, Woody couldn't get the question out he so desperately needed to ask to ascertain that things were okay with his little sister.

"I had a lovely time." Jessie's statement was sincere, but Woody felt there was more to it than she was letting on.

"Really?"

"Yes Woody," Jessie rolled her eyes. "Buzz, tell him." She nudged the spaceman with her elbow and he let out a little grunt.

"Woody, if Jessie said she had a lovely time, then she did."

"Whoa whoa, okay, hold your horses." Woody said with a chuckle, and Bullseyes ears pricked up. "Not you, boy," Woody added, petting the horse's muzzle affectionately. "And you, Buzz? Enjoy tonight?" The question was a little sly, but unlike usual, Buzz didn't rise to it. He was too busy staring at Jessie next to him.

"Helloooo, Star Command to Buzz Lightyear, do you copy," Woody teased, and Buzz shot him an irritated look.

"What?"

"Did you have a good time too?"

"Yes, Woody. What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?"

Jessie giggled at this, and Buzz poked her in the side. "Shaddup."

"Well, now you mention questions and such like," Woody said boldly, watching them play fight and giggle, "I was kind of curious as to how my little sister's feeling." There, he'd said it.

Jessie turned to look at him. "Woody, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well..." Woody stumbled over his words as he sat down. "I know that you and Buzz have been through...a lot of stuff recently, and I was wondering if..." he stopped as Jessie turned fully round to face him and put her hands in his.

"Woody, I am fine. Buzz is fine. We're fine." She gave his hands a little shake, "We're part of a family again. And anything that's happened, well...it happened. And I feel better for _everything_ that's happened." She gave her brother a cheeky smile, and added, "Unless of course, you want to know all the details about what me and Buzz got up to when we were exploring...and I use the term 'exploring' loosely..."

Bullseye suddenly covered his eyes with his hooves, and Woody immediately understood the meaning behind "exploring".

"Oh, whoa there little missie. I don't think that'll be necessary," he admonished her, feeling his own face flush, and caught sight of Buzz's half amused, half embarrassed face behind the cowgirl.

"Oh good. Then I take it you won't be bothering me about being alright, anymore?"

"No. Well. Maybe once every so often..." Woody said, with a smile.

"That's okay...I think I can handle that," Jessie grinned, turning back to her position next to Buzz, and the spacetoy put his arms gently around her. She glanced up at him as he kissed her forehead, and then down her nose, ending at her lips.

"I can't believe you said it," he whispered, and she smiled up at him.

"Told you third time was the charm, didn't I?"

* * *

When Amber returned to the room later on, she was amused to see that Buzz and Jessie (or Babs, as she called her now) were snuggled up tightly together. She didn't remember leaving them like that, but she must have done, she supposed, picking them up.

"Well, looks like Mr Lightyear done romanced the cowgirl," she mused aloud, opening her nightstand draw. She placed the two toys into it, and then took Woody, put him on the back of Bullseye, and stood them on the top of her nightstand unit.

"Time for bed," she said aloud, walking across to the window seat. She hesitated once there, picking up Lottie. She fingered the doll's bright hair gently for a moment, looking directly at her. "I don't mind bed the way I used to." She said softly. "I didn't like it for months on end. But at least you were always nearby." She suddenly sobbed and hugged the rag doll to her.

"I don't blame you anymore. Mommy said it was _his_ fault. Mommy said..." she trailed off, and held the rag doll out again. "Mommy said it wasn't anything I did. Daddy was just a bad person. And he's gone away now. So we're safe, Lottie. And we don't have to be frightened anymore."

Amber walked back over to the bed and laid the doll on the covers while she hunted for a nightshirt to wear. Once changed, she grabbed a book from her bookcase, not before running her hands over the Barbie band, plus Rochelle, her eyes clouding over with tears again. "I miss Popstar Barbie," she whispered to them. "I'm sorry I broke her now. But I was so angry with myself."

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, and ran over to hop into bed, pulling Lottie close to her under the blanket. "We'll read aloud, Lottie." She said brightly, "Just like Mommy used to before everything happened."

* * *

Half an hour later, the door to the room gently opened, and someone peeked around it.

"Look at her sleeping, doesn't she look happy?" came a whisper, followed by the soft acknowledgement of someone else outside too. The door opened more fully, and two shadows fell across the threshold; Shelly, and Amber's mom.

For there, Amber lay asleep in front of them, a book lying open on her chest, surrounded by toys, and hugging Lottie close in her arms.

**

* * *

-Fin-**

***Hope you enjoyed! Please read and review! Thanks!***


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